


Operation Overlord

by roeskva



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Apocalypse, Drama, Episode: s04e17 Absolute Power, Gen, Tok'ra
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-21
Updated: 2016-08-21
Packaged: 2018-08-10 04:46:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 22,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7830850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roeskva/pseuds/roeskva
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daniel really does get Goa’uld genetic memories from Shifu and he becomes a megalomaniac. Teal’c escapes Earth and enlists Bra’tac, Martouf/Lantash, and Jacob/Selmak to help save his friends and Earth. (AU of “Absolute Power”).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Escaping Earth

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: 056. SG-1, Daniel Jackson, Any Tok'Ra, The events of the episode "Absolute Power" are not all just a dream and Daniel Jackson really does become megalomaniacal from the Goa'uld knowledge given to him by Shifu. Before Daniel can stop him, Teal'c manages to make it off world and warn the Tok'Ra (& any other Earth allies who would listen) about what's going on. Now the Tok'Ra have to try & rescue what's left of SG-1 and stop Daniel before it's too late. 
> 
> Written for Tok’ra Kree! Round 9. 
> 
> Beta: Skarpedin (Thank you!) 
> 
> Notes on the timeframe: On the episode “Absolute Power” they allude to something that has happened to Teal’c, but that it couldn’t be proved Daniel was behind it. No timeframe. Just to work with something, I am assuming this was maybe two months before Sam is thrown in jail for being ‘dangerous’ to Daniel’s plan. So, this fic starts maybe around late November/early December 2001, or so. 
> 
> Also of interest for this story is that it is after Exodus/Enemies, which saw the Tok’ra move from Vorash. First episode is about a month after “Absolute Power”, but second episode is four months later, and I will assume this was the time it happened in the Stargate universe. Thus it is likely things happened differently than in canon, since Daniel was probably focused on studying his genetic memory, and building a weapon with Sam. And we know he also mistrusted the Tok’ra. By the time Teal’c flees (late November 2001), there has likely been no contact with the Tok’ra for several months. The Tok’ra may have moved again, or perhaps they did not move directly to Revanna (We know they are on Revanna March 22nd 2002 in the main timeline, because of “Summit”). I am going to assume the Tok’ra has moved from Vorash, but were somewhere else before going to Revanna, but are there now. However, Teal’c has no idea where they are. 
> 
> Also, the Tollan were destroyed in August 2001 in the canon timeline. I am going to assume this did not happen with the change to the timeline. Maybe Tanith did not escape from the Tok’ra, or something else happened differently :)

Teal'c stumbled through the gate, leaving heavily on his staff weapon. Reaching the DHD, he cast a fearful glance at the event horizon, expecting his pursuers to emerge at any moment.

As soon as the wormhole had shut down, he quickly dialed another address. He allowed himself a moment's rest, leaning heavily on the DHD. Blood was seeping through his uniform jacket from multiple bullets wounds.

He took a deep breath and walked to the event horizon and stepped through. Exiting on the other side he fell to his knees, then collapsed completely, unable to keep himself upright any longer.

Strong hands lifted him and carried him away, but Teal'c was already unconscious.

* * *

"Teal'c!" Bra'tac said, seeing his friend and apprentice starting to wake up.

"Bra'tac." Teal'c raised his head, but had to close his eyes for a moment before sitting up.

"Relax, old friend. You were gravely wounded, and your symbiote has not finished healing you yet." Bra'tac put a hand on Teal'c's shoulder and gently pushed him down.

"I am well enough to move, and I must. Time is of the essence," Teal'c insisted. "My symbiote will soon heal the rest of the damage."

Bra'tac nodded slowly, looking grim. "Your injuries were caused by Tau'ri weapons. You have not come here for many months, and now this. What has happened?"

"All is not as it should be with the Tau'ri." Teal'c paused to drink from the cup Bra'tac held out to him. He took a deep breath. "Daniel Jackson has become... power hungry. _Insane_."

"Daniel Jackson? I cannot believe that is so!" Bra'tac looked taken aback.

"Believe it! It was done by the Harcesis child."

"He gave Doctor Jackson his genetic memory. Yes, I remember hearings news of this ." Bra'tac shook his head. "It was a matter of great concern to me, but I was assured he would be able to control it. Assured that the Tau'ri would gain knowledge which would help them, help all of us, in the battle against the Goa'uld."

Teal'c nodded and took another drink of water. "Indeed, and so they have. They are building a weapon of great power to defend their world. That is not the concern."

"What is, then?"

"Daniel Jackson has acquired great powers, and few dare speak out against him. Major Carter has helped him construct this weapon, but she expressed her concern, and as a result he has relieved her of all responsibilities. She has begun speaking out against him, and I doubt it will be long before she is apprehended. Daniel Jackson's personality has changed, his behaviour has become... _erratic_. Those who disagree with him tends to... disappear."

"The Goa'uld genetic memory is affecting him," Bra'tac said.

"Yes," Teal'c confirmed. "For a long time I have been prevented from leaving, and recently I confronted Daniel Jackson about this, and about other concerns." He frowned. "He was not pleased, and it was not long after that when I knew my life was in danger. Since there did not seem to be anything I could do, I decided to leave the world of the Tau'ri."

"What of Colonel O'Neill? What of Hammond of Texas?" Bra'tac asked, clearly still shocked by what Teal'c told him.

"Colonel O'Neill was offered the position of overseeing the naquadah retrieval operation, since much naquadah is needed for the new weapon. He took the position, but I am certain he is concerned as well, even if his trust in Daniel Jackson is great." Teal'c paused for a moment. "Some months ago, General Hammond was transferred to a position in Washington, I have learned nothing knew about him since."

"The news you bring are indeed grave, my friend," Bra'tac said. "However, as unfortunate as this is to your friends, it sounds as if the Tau'ri may yet be instrumental in freeing the Galaxy from the Goa'uld."

Teal'c slowly shook his head. "I fear such will not be the case. Their focus seems to be their own world, but in the event that they _do_ choose to venture out to confront the Goa'uld, I feel certain they would do so as a conquerer, and not as a liberator."

"You truly believe the Goa'uld genetic memory is controlling Daniel Jackson to the point where it will cause him to go down the same path as the Goa'uld?" Bra'tac asked.

"I do."

Bra'tac nodded. "Then they will be as yet another System Lord. Most unfortunate."

"We must do something." Teal'c swung his legs over the side of the bench where he had been lying, and carefully stood.

Bra'tac sighed. "What is your plan?"

"Contact the Asgard. They can help free Daniel Jackson of the effects of the Goa'uld genetic memory. I know of no others who can do so." He took his staff weapon and leaned against it, straightening. "I must go alone - to Cimmeria."

* * *

"It did not go as well as you had hoped," Bra'tac said, when he saw the expression Teal'c upon his return.

"No. The Asgard have no honour!" Teal'c exclaimed. "They insisted that this was an internal Tau'ri matter - despite the cause being Goa'uld genetic memory!"

"Though it was not the doing of the Goa'uld that it came to be in Doctor Jackson," Bra'tac reminded him gently.

Teal'c took a deep breath before answering. "True."

"The Asgard said nothing else?"

"They conveyed their regret as to the fate of Daniel Jackson - and the others of the Tau'ri," Teal'c said. He looked darkly at the horizon. "I was also given the impression that should Daniel Jackson go to them of his own volition, like Colonel O'Neill did, he would be helped. I do not believe that would happen."

"What else is there to do, then? I would accompany you to the world of the Tau'ri, but I fear not even our combined strength and cunning will be enough in a case such as this."

"It will not. Daniel Jackson now lives in a heavily fortified building, much like a small palace. There are many guards, outside and inside, as well as surveillance and electronic security. Some of the doors have been changed to open only if you have naquadah in the blood."

"He is now a host?" Bra'tac asked, surprised.

"No, but he has naquadah in the blood, naquadah which has been artificially added."

"I see." Bra'tac nodded. "Penetrating such a secure position will be difficult, unless we have superior forces."

"Which we do not." He turned to Bra'tac, his expression easing somewhat.

"You have another suggestion?"

He nodded. "Perhaps the Tok'ra has some technology which will help Daniel Jackson. _If_ we find a way to reach him."

"They may have the knowledge, but do you know how to contact them?" Bra'tac asked.

"There has been no contact with them since several months, but I will try the most recent address. If that fails, the Tollan may be able to help us - or at least they may know how reach the Tok'ra."

* * *

"I apologize, but the Curia has rejected your plea for help," Narim said, looking apologetic.

"Did they say why?"

"As you know, the Tollan do not share their technology, nor do we interfere in what is clearly an internal Tau'ri matter," Narim explained. He hesitated. "Is there anything else I can do to help you?"

"Yes. Can you contact the Tok'ra?" Teal'c asked.

Narim hesitated, "I can, but I am not sure..."

"You know the Tau'ri are friends of the Tok'ra," Teal'c interrupted.

"Yes, but after what you told me..." He sighed. "I shall transmit the signal and have them send someone here, then you will get the chance to plead for their assistance."

"Thank you."

"Please understand that I cannot say when they will come. Or who they will send."

"It is of no consequence. Send the signal."

* * *

"Hello, Teal'c!" Jacob greeted him, then looked towards Bra'tac and nodded at him.

The two other Tok'ra with Jacob both made the standard Tok'ra greeting; a little half-bow with their hands held flat over each other just under the chest.

"Jacob." Teal'c nodded at him. "This is Master Bra'tac, my first teacher, and the greatest Jaffa master I have ever met."

"It's an honour to meet you," Jacob said, then added, urged by Selmak. "Master Bra'tac."

Bra'tac smiled, obviously pleased, earning Jacob a 'told you so' from his symbiote. He ignored her and instead turned back to Teal'c. "Why did you contact us through the Tollan? I know you were given a device to send a signal to us."

"True, but I did not have access to it."

Jacob nodded curtly. "I assume that is also why your team is not here with you. Where are they?" he demanded. " _Where_ is my daughter?"

"On Earth. She was alive when I last saw her, and I do not expect that to have changed. More I cannot say." Teal'c hesitated. "I presume you remember the Harcesis child?"

"Yes. Aldwin went to help you extract the knowledge hidden in his genetic memory, but then the child transferred it to Doctor Jackson, and Aldwin was told you no longer needed our assistance."

"Correct." Teal'c nodded. "The memories affected Daniel Jackson much more than we had expected."

"The genetic memories control him," Jacob guessed.

"To some degree. More as time passes, I believe. Worse, due the knowledge he now holds, great power has been given to him. The leaders of your country believe the genetic memory holds the key to Earth's protection and eventual victory over the Goa'uld. Daniel Jackson has loyal guards, and supporters who does as he asks. Those who question anything disappear."

Jacob was quiet for a long time, clearly shaken. "It is worse than we had feared. When we did not hear from you for months, and our attempts at contact were rebuffed - we were told our visits were 'inconvenient' - we knew something was up. We hadn't thought it was _that_ bad."

"I was hoping the Tok'ra could help us."

"I don't know if the Council will agree to help. To be honest, I don't really know what it is you want us to do. What we _can_ do."

"Do you not have the technology to suppress Daniel Jackson's genetic memory?"

"Since it was given to him the way it was, maybe. Probably not without causing loss of some of his own memories, though. In any case, I'm guessing he wouldn't go with us willingly?"

"He would not."

"So it would have to be an assault. Go in, capture him, get out - _with_ him." Jacob shook his head. "Aren't there anyone back on Earth that could help you?"

"Major Carter has spoken out against Daniel Jackson. At first he claimed it was due to what he called a 'nervous breakdown', but I fear she will soon be imprisoned, if she has not already. Colonel O'Neill has been less willing to believe his friend has changed, and were still supporting Daniel Jackson when I escaped."

" _Escaped_..." Jacob sighed. "It sounds like things have really become bad. Let's go sit down and then you can tell us what you know, Teal'c."

* * *

"That is all I can tell you," Teal'c said, ending his explanation.

"It's enough to convince me something must be done, and soon. From how it sounds, Sam is probably imprisoned by now!" Jacob exclaimed. "I just wish I knew how to convince the Council to let me take some people and go with you to Earth, and capture Doctor Jackson!"

"Teal'c and I will go, even if no one else comes," Bra'tac promised.

"No offense, but I'm not sure how good an idea that is," Jacob said.

"I will go! This is not something that can be argued against. What of you, _Tok'ra_?" Bra'tac asked. "Hm?"

Jacob gave him a dirty look. "What do you think? Sam is my daughter. Earth is - _was_ \- my planet. Of _course_ I will do what I can. I just don't know _how_ right now."

"There is one more thing you should know," Teal'c said. "Major Carter mentioned that Daniel Jackson seems to have developed an obsession with the time you were imprisoned on Netu, and were interrogated by Apophis."

"Interesting, but I do not see how that can help us."

"Major Carter believed _that_ , more than anything else, was the reason why Daniel Jackson trusted her and Colonel O'Neill, and did not punish her even when she started opposing him. Because they were on Netu with him and suffered Apophis's wrath as well."

"And since you weren't on Netu with us, you would not be including in this... whatever it is. Shared victimhood or something." Jacob nodded. "I suppose it's possible, and if that's the case, it may prove to be to my advantage, since I was there on Netu with Doctor Jackson. Of course, it could also simply be because Apophis hated you more, due to your betrayal of him, and the memory of that feeling was stronger than Doctor Jackson's trust in you."

"Indeed, it is possible. I should also warn you that Daniel Jackson seems to have acquired a strong distrust of the Tok'ra."

"Probably because of the Goa'uld genetic memories. Of course." Jacob was quiet for some time, discussing it with Selmak. "Gambling that he'd trust me is probably our best bet anyway. It may help us get close enough to Doctor Jackson - if we can get past his guards. Do you think it's likely Jack is still on friendly terms with Doctor Jackson?"

"Possibly."

"If we're a couple Tok'ra or more, we can probably confuse the guards with hara'kesh'es," Jacob suggested. "It would still be very difficult to get past all the security you mentioned, particularly without a plan over the place. Several more people would be good to have too."

"I believe Major Carter has been to Daniel Jackson's mansion a number of times, so she should be able to help us. If she is not imprisoned," Teal'c said.

Jacob sighed. "I guess we should go back to my base and see if I can convince the Council to send someone to help us, before we make any more plans."


	2. Gathering Support

"That plan is even _more_ foolhardy than usual, Selmak. Even for your Tau'ri host," Delek said. "You cannot _seriously_ think we will risk any operatives on this."

"Particularly after the Tau'ri made it very clear we were not welcome any longer," Ren'al added.

Jacob sighed. "It's true we were told it wasn't a good time the last couple times we contacted Stargate Command, but that doesn't mean everyone shares that opinion. In fact, from what Teal'c told me, it's because Doctor Jackson has begun to distrust the Tok'ra - affected by Goa'uld genetic memory."

"From what I hear, he is not the only one, nor is it a recent development," Thoran observed.

"The Tau'ri seems to have become quite antagonistic to us in the recent year and a half. Even you must admit that, Jacob," Delek said.

"I get that you won't be going with me to Earth, but that's just fine with me!" Jacob exclaimed. "Someone need to, though. You can't seriously feel we should just give _up_ on our allies!"

"No. I do not want to abandon our allies, not even after all that has happened," Garshaw said. "However, Delek is correct. Your plan is extremely dangerous, foolhardy even."

"I am _going_!" Jacob insisted.

Sina nodded. "Understandable, but I too have to agree with Delek. It is simply too dangerous."

"In addition, we do not have any operatives available, Jacob. I am sorry," Malek said.

"Per'sus?" Jacob asked in a strained voice.

"You have just told us that Doctor Jackson 'mistrusts' the Tok'ra - and also that he is now in a position of power on your world. What if the people I send are caught? You, Jacob, may enjoy some protection, being a Tau'ri yourself, but that would not be the cause for anyone else. In addition, the world of the Tau'ri is not as most other worlds, and it is my understanding that it would be difficult for someone not native to 'blend in'. No, I cannot in good conscience risk the life of an operative on this. That person would be as good as dead, were they to be caught. I am sorry, Jacob."

Jacob groaned and took a deep breath. "Listen, no offence, Per'sus, but isn't that often the case when we send someone? Why would..." he was interrupted by Selmak who made a suggestion to him. He made a snort at her outrageous idea, but decided to go with it. It was insane enough that it might work. "Selmak suggests there is someone who might be suitable - and willing."

"Really? And who is this?" Delek asked.

"Martouf."

" _Martouf_?" Ren'al scoffed. "You cannot be serious."

"Last I heard he's still in stasis - or has that changed without me being informed?" Jacob asked, sharply.

"I do not know what you are implying. He is still in stasis, but he is dead - or as good as dead in any case," Ren'al said.

"Then that makes him eminently suitable for this mission. Didn't you guys just say any operative going with me was as good as dead? Well, then what's there to lose?" Jacob asked.

"Do not be obtuse, Jacob!" Ren'al exclaimed. "If I thought Lantash could heal Martouf, do you really think I would not have let him try?"

"I'm not sure. You've been so adamant about how we need to study his brain, that I thought that was all that mattered to you!"

"It _is_ of grave importance! How are we to stop the Goa'uld from their nefarious plans if we cannot stop them from turning our own people against us? You have been blocking me in this important research for more than a year, to the point where it may not even matter any longer!"

"Then what does it matter if you let Lantash try healing Martouf? Anise tells me it is possible, at least if healers help with healing devices. She _also_ told me that there would be little to learn from an autopsy, because the shots from the zat'nik'tel would have almost certainly destroyed the zatarc programming!"

"Anise should refrain from speculating on research she is no longer involved in," Sirron said.

"Because _you_ voted to allow your good friend Ren'al to take over!" Jacob exclaimed.

"Stop!" Per'sus called out, angrily. "This is ridiculous! You will _not_ reopen this discussion here!"

Jacob took a deep breath, then dipped his head, letting Selmak take over.

"You are correct, Per'sus. The fate of Martouf and Lantash is close to our hearts, and that was why we let our temper rule. Jacob and I both apologize."

Per'sus nodded. "We all regret what happened to them."

Everyone else around the table looked down, realizing they had let their cloud their reason.

"We Tok'ra are passionate, but we should be able to talk together in a civil manner," Thoran remarked.

"Thoran is correct," Delek said.

Ren'al nodded slowly. "He is. Now, can we end this meeting? I have some matter of importance I need to attend to."

"Jacob and I still need an answer. Will you allow Lantash to attempt to heal Martouf, with the assistance of a healer?"

"Selmak!" Ren'al groaned, hiding her face in her palm.

"Per'sus." Selmak turned to the Supreme High Councillor of the Tok'ra. "If they are successfully healed, and agrees to go with us, then what is there to lose? You risk someone that would probably have died otherwise, and if we return safely you will have them back - and probably the gratitude of the Tau'ri for rescuing them from their current situation."

Per'sus considered it, and discussed it with his host. "There is truth in your words, Selmak," he finally said.

"There is," Malek agreed.

"I too support this," Garshaw said.

Sina nodded. "As do I."

"Delek? Thoran? Sirron?" Per'sus asked. " _Ren'al_?"

"You already have your majority. What does it matter?" Ren'al asked, unhappily.

Delek and Thoran slowly nodded, and then so did Sirron. Finally, Ren'al did as well.

"Good." Per'sus smiled. "An unanimous decision. I like those!"

* * *

"Sure you're okay?" Jacob asked, looking at Martouf with concern.

Martouf nodded. "Yes, I am well. Merely a little sore and tired." He gave Jacob a half-smile. "All the damage has been repaired, and Lantash assures me we will be fine. We just need 'a few good nights of sleep', as you say."

Jacob smiled at his friend. "Great. You can get that on the way to Earth, if you don't mind." He hesitated, "Assuming you are still willing to go?"

"Of course, Jacob. Did you really imagine I would say no?"

"No, not really."

"Besides - it seems I no longer _have_ any quarters." He grinned wryly.

"We'll get some new ones grown for you. I made sure that some of your personal stuff at least is still in storage."

"Thank you, Jacob. That is most appreciated."

He nodded, then grinned, feeling very happy to have his friend back."Come on - we lost more than a week while they healed you!" His grin widened. "Okay, we couldn't have left earlier anyway. It took me that long to track down a teltac with a cloak! Come and meet the team!"

"The 'team' - that is you, me, Teal'c, and another Jaffa?" Martouf asked, as they turned into the corridor that lead to Jacob's quarters.

"Yup, he's the guy who trained Teal'c. His name is-"

"Master Bra'tac," Teal'c said, stepping out in the corridor together with Bra'tac.

Martouf looked towards Bra'tac, and made a half-bow. "Honoured to meet you, Master Bra'tac."

Bra'tac smiled. "Greetings, young Tok'ra."

"My name is Martouf, host to Lantash," he told him, turning to Teal'c. "Greetings, Teal'c."

Teal'c bowed his head to him. "It is good to see you well, Martouf."

"Thank you."

"You have procured a vessel for our journey?" Bra'tac asked.

"Yes, I just returned - to find that Martouf had been released by the healers. Very fortunate. It means we can leave immediately."

"The ship is here?" Teal'c asked.

"No, it's on another world, slightly closer to Earth than this one. It'll still take more than a week, even pushing the engines," Jacob said.

"Then I agree, we should leave as soon as possible," Martouf said.

"Anise has found some tech that might help us get through the electronic security measures I am told Daniel Jackson has installed in his headquarters. If you go fetch some valuables for us to use on Earth, Martouf, the rest of us will get the stuff from Anise," Jacob told them.

"I apologize, Jacob. I do not know a lot about the world of the Tau'ri. I assume an amount similar to what is needed when setting an operative up as a minor system lord would be sufficient?" Martouf asked.

"Yeah, that's probably..." Jacob frowned. "Wait... no, _damn_!" He shook his head. "We need a fairly large sum to pull off an attack on a place like Doctor Jackson's mansion, but you can't easily sell lots of expensive jewelry on Earth. Not quickly at any rate. It'll seem suspicious, and we can't risk that. No, we'll just bring a smaller amount, and then we'll have to find some means of getting more funds locally." He listened to a suggestion from Selmak, and hesitantly agreed.

* * *

"We're almost on Earth. I suggest the first order of business should be contacting Sam and tracking down Jack," Jacob said. "If Sam's in prison, like Teal'c suspects, we'll find a way to free her."

"Can we be certain Colonel O'Neill is to be trusted?" Lantash asked.

"O'Neill would _never_ betray us!" Teal'c exclaimed.

"I apologize. What I meant was, would he be willing to believe Daniel Jackson has succumbed to the Goa'uld genetic memory, or will he trust his friend even against our word?"

"It's a valid question," Jacob said after a few moments. "But I doubt he'll report us, even if he won't agree Daniel Jackson needs to be removed from power." He turned to Teal'c. "Does Jack still live in Colorado Springs?"

"He did when I last saw him, but that was several months ago," Teal'c said.

"All right. We'll start there then. We should be able to find someone to ask, at least," Jacob decided. He checked that the cloak was functioning, and then adjusted the controls.


	3. On Earth

"It's late December here," Jacob said as he landed the teltac in the forested, mountainous area west of Cheyenne Mountain. "Doesn't look like there's been much snow," he checked the gauges on the panel. "Just below freezing. Guess that's lucky - it's almost 30 klicks to the city, and the terrain is pretty rough. Would have been bad if it was colder, or a blizzard."

"Klicks?" Bra'tac asked.

"A Tau'ri measure of distance. It is approximately one met'nu'iteru," Teal'c explained.

"We should get going. Darkness has just fallen, and the nights are long at this time of year, but we want to get to the city and find some better clothing before dawn. What we're wearing doesn't exactly help us _blend_ ," Jacob said, looking at Martouf's Tok'ra uniform and the Jaffa clothing Teal'c and Bra'tac were wearing.

"We may be able to get help from Sergeant Harriman," Teal'c said. "He assisted my escape from Stargate Command."

"Good, that's making things much easier," Jacob said. "I had the impression that he was very much a man that did things by the book, but... do you think he'll help us move against Doctor Jackson?"

Teal'c hesitated before speaking, "I am not certain. While he was willing to help me escape, I believe he was not ready to accept that his leaders had made an error in permitting Daniel Jackson the amount of power they had."

"All right. We'll see what he says. He may at least be able to help us get some intel," Jacob decided.

* * *

It was long after midnight when they finally stood outside Sergeant Harriman's house.

"Let's hope he's not on the base," Jacob said, as they walked up to the front door. He knocked, then rang the bell and waited.

Teal'c stood nearby, while Bra'tac and Martouf/Lantash waited some distance away, in the shadow of a large bush.

After a few minutes the door opened, and Harriman looked out, appearing a bit sleepy. When he saw Jacob, he woke up quickly. "General Carter?" He looked at the other man walking up to the door. " _Teal'c_!"

"Yes. Can we talk?" Jacob asked, when he heard someone calling from inside the house.

"It's work!" Harriman called to her. "Go back to bed!" He closed the door behind him and pulled his robe more tightly together. "What can I do for you?"

"Is there somewhere private we can talk?" Jacob asked, looking around.

Harriman frowned, then nodded. "Yeah - go wait in the garage. I'll join you there in a little while. I just need to get dressed."

Jacob hesitated, "All right. Just don't tell anyone who we are, please!"

* * *

"General Carter?" Harriman asked into the darkness of the garage, when he had closed the door.

"I am here," Jacob flipped the light switch and stepped forward. "Come on, guys!"

Bra'tac, Teal'c, and Martouf/Lantash followed him.

Harriman looked at Bra'tac and Martouf/Lantash, surprised. "Master Bra'tac - and _Martouf_! I thought you were dead! _Sorry_. It's obvious you're not."

Martouf smiled a little. "I am quite alive and well, but from what I understand, it was long uncertain if that would be the case."

Harriman nodded, then looked to Teal'c. "You made it offworld, Teal'c. I was told you were badly wounded, possibly dead, but I am happy to see you're well."

"Indeed," Teal'c said. "I am well."

"Listen" Jacob said. "We should probably hurry up. So, I'll be direct - what is your opinion on Doctor Jackson and his current position?"

Harriman hesitated, "Well, we have all heard about someone who has... been relocated. Fired. Or simply disappeared. I helped Teal'c escape when it was clear he wasn't safe here any longer." He paused. "You are here to... to stop Doctor Jackson? Do you really think it will help? _Sir_."

"We're here to capture Doctor Jackson, yes. Hopefully help him - his behaviour is due to the Goa'uld genetic memory he was given," Jacob said.

After a few moments Harriman nodded. "I'll help you, General."

"Great." Jacob nodded. "Good to hear that - and you don't need to keep calling me 'General'. This isn't exactly official business."

"As you wish, sir. What do you need? I can get you some information, at least."

"That would be good. We'll also need suitable clothing, and some handguns," Jacob said.

Harriman looked surprised. "Handguns, sir? I thought you brought your own weapons? Zats, or something."

"The weapons are only for blending in. We're going to dress up as some of Doctor Jackson's guards - and take out the real ones," Jacob said bluntly. "What about my daughter? Where is she?"

"Major Carter had a falling out with Doctor Jackson a couple months ago. He informed everyone it was because she had been working too hard and had a nervous breakdown." Harriman looked apologetically at Jacob. "I didn't believe that, sir. Major Carter is not the type to crack." He took a deep breath. "A couple days ago we got word that she had been arrested."

"Samantha has been arrested?" Martouf asked, aghast.

"Yes. She's apparently in isolation. For her own good, I am told. I don't know where she's imprisoned, but I can make inquiries."

"Do that. What about Jack?" Jacob asked.

"He quit his position. He was in charge of procuring naquadah for the weapon, as Teal'c might have told you. He did so very successfully - so much so in fact that the stockpiles will last for a long time. No one has been going through the Stargate since Teal'c left."

"All right. Where's Jack now?" Jacob asked. "Here in Colorado Springs?"

"No, I think he's at his cabin. In Silver Creek, Minnesota. I can find the address," Harriman said.

"That will not be necessary. I have been to that location," Teal'c told them.

Jacob nodded. "Okay."

"I better get going," Harriman said. "I'll get you some BDUs too - what you wear right now isn't exactly inconspicuous." He looked at their Tok'ra uniforms and Jaffa clothing.

"Thank you for helping us," Martouf said. "And we apologize for waking you at this hour."

Harriman shook his head. "No problem. I had to get up and go to work in about an hour anyway."

"Where do we meet you? Here?" Bra'tac asked.

"No, you risk being discovered if you stay here." Harriman hesitated, trying to think of a place they could hide.

"Sam's house. It hasn't been confiscated, right? I know where she hides her spare key," Jacob said.

Harriman nodded. "That works. Do you have a car to get there?"

"We can walk. But we do need a car, for later. We have brought some valuables. Do you know of anyone who's selling? It doesn't have to be anything fancy."

"I'm not sure..." Harriman wrinkled his brow as he considered it. "Actually, I think Lieutenant Ritter has a car for sale. It's a Honda Accord, a sedan. Not sure how old, but I suspect it's more than 10 years old."

"That's fine - as long as it'll run. What does he want for it?" Jacob asked.

"No idea. Less than a thousand, I'm sure of that."

"Okay. We don't have any cash - do you think he'll accept jewelry?" Jacob opened one of the bags with valuables they had brought, and pulled out a handful. "A necklace, maybe?"

"Or a ring. He's selling the car to be able to afford an engagement ring for his girlfriend." Harriman grinned.

"I have no idea what the value is of any of this - take these and see if he'll swap." Jacob handed Harriman a necklace and three different rings - all with large gemstones. "He can always sell it and buy something that appeals to his girlfriend."

Harriman nodded. "Okay. I'll meet you at Major Carter's house around 8PM."

* * *

"Samantha will not mind?" Martouf asked, when they entered Sam's house.

"Nope, I'm sure she won't," Jacob said. "Just remember to take off your shoes - or she _will_ get me for it!"

"Of course, Jacob." Martouf quickly took off his shoes and placed them nicely beside the other shoes standing on a rack just inside the door.

"This dwelling belongs only to Major Carter?" Bra'tac asked.

"What? Yes, she lives her alone, if that's what you mean," Jacob said.

"She is a person of higher position than I had thought," Bra'tac remarked.

Jacob laughed. "Actually, her house is on the smaller side - for this country."

"O'Neill has an even larger dwelling," Teal'c informed Bra'tac.

He nodded. "That is as it should be. He has higher rank."

Martouf had taken out some of the Tok'ra emergency rations, but Jacob stopped him.

"No, wait! I'll eat rations when I have to, but I'm sure Sam must have something better in the freezer!" Jacob went to check, and soon pulled several boxes out. "Hah! Frozen dinners! I knew she had some!" He looked some more. "And pizza! That's even better!"

"Most fortunate. I am quite hungry," Teal'c said.

"So are the rest of us..." Jacob raised an eyebrow. "But, I'm guessing, you can eat both a pizza _and_ a frozen dinner?"

"Affirmative," Teal'c said, smiling a little.

Jacob nodded. "Okay. "Martouf? Bra'tac? What do you want? Pizza, or - some sort of chicken dinner."

* * *

The two Tok'ra had spent the day sleeping, and the two Jaffa had done their kel'no'reem and then taken turns keeping guard, despite how unlikely it was anyone would show up. They had been careful not to let anyone see them enter, and Sam had left the curtains drawn back when she left.

It was shortly after 8PM when Harriman knocked on the door, and Jacob let him in.

"I got the car, sir," Harriman said.

Jacob nodded. "Thanks. What about clothing? What does Doctor Jackson's guards wear?"

"Those outside wear a black uniform, similar to ones I've brought for you - they're in the car. Well, at least they used those types some months ago when I and some others were called to his, his _mansion_. The guards inside just wore dark suits and dark ties."

"Okay, very good. Can you give us a map of the place?" Jacob asked.

"I was only ever downstairs, in the room near the entrance. I've managed to get a house plan, but it's several years old, and I _know_ he's rebuilt since." Harriman handed Jacob a roll of paper. "Here - and the address is on it too."

Jacob sighed. "Thanks. It'll be better than nothing, even if some things are different. We'll figure it out. What about my daughter?"

"Major Carter is in a prison in Denver, sir. Apparently she's more or less in isolation. I have the address for you, but no info on the layout of the building."

"Presumably she's in isolation because Doctor Jackson is afraid she'll manage to convince anyone she's innocent - and tell them what he's up to," Jacob mused.

"I've got some green BDUs for you too. It'll help you blend in better than what you currently wear." Harriman made a wry grin.

"Very true." Jacob grinned. "Alright, thanks for your help."

"No problem - oh, one more thing." Harriman took a cell phone from his pocket. "This is for you. I'll try to gather more information for you, but I can't promise how much I'll be able to get."

Jacob took the phone and nodded. "Thanks. You drove here in the car you bought for me, right?"

"Yes." He gave Jacob the keys to the car.

"Come on, then. I'll drive you home."


	4. Plans and Preparations

It was long after midnight when the two Tok'ra and two Jaffa left Sam's house - ensuring no one saw or heard them leave.

"Well, it's a good thing we didn't arrive one day later," Jacob observed, as they drove through the almost deserted city.

"Why is that?" Martouf asked, checking again that his seatbelt was fastened.

"It's New Year's Eve - and tonight people will be out and about everywhere," Jacob explained, then added, "It's a holiday."

"This is a strange mode of transportation," Bra'tac observed. "I have not experienced anything like it before. You are certain it is safe?"

"I have a similar concern," Martouf admitted.

"Of course, it's safe. Mostly, anyway!" Jacob grinned. "Sure, cars crash from time to time, but I don't think more than forty or fifty thousand were killed last year."

" _What_!" Martouf exclaimed, horrified.

"Perhaps we should walk instead. How far is it to this place 'Minnesota'?" Bra'tac asked, alarmed.

"The population of even just this country is vast. The number Jacob mentioned is in fact not even one percent of the population," Teal'c said. "There is no cause for concern."

"It's much less than one percent, Teal'c. More like a percent of a percent," Jacob said. "Sorry, guys - you really have no reason to worry."

"I see." Martouf frowned, but did not look completely reassured. He looked out the window at the trees and mountains. "How long will it take us to get to where we landed the teltac?"

"Not long. Another twenty minutes or so," Jacob said.

"And _then_ we are going to O'Neill's cabin, correct?" Bra'tac asked.

"Yes, eventually, but not immediately. We'll stop somewhere on the way and sell some jewelry for cash, and then buy some more clothes and other things we'll need," Jacob said. "We'll need to find some other way of getting most of the money we need, though."

"Yes, you mentioned that it would seem suspicious if we brought large amounts of jewelry, gold, and other valuables to a store to sell it," Martouf said.

Jacob nodded. "Right. Selmak suggested we win the money at a casino, and after some thought, I agree with her. However, we also need some starting funds, and we won't get enough from selling jewelry - not without drawing attention. We've decided the best way to do that is regrettably to, ah, make several large withdrawals from a number of ATMs."

"What are A... T... Ms?" Martouf asked.

"Devices for withdrawing Tau'ri currency without having to go to a bank," Teal'c told him.

"So we will use the funds you have here on the world of the Tau'ri, Jacob?" Martouf wondered.

Jacob laughed. "I don't have that kind of money! No, I talked to Anise, and she gave me a small device which will scan the ATM and send a suitable signal to it, causing it to dispense a large sum. I will also use a jammer I got from her, which will make sure we're not caught on camera."

"Ah, we will be stealing!" Bra'tac said. "Interesting." He smiled. "I had not expected to become a thief, when I agreed to accompany you!"

"I'm sure the Air Force will repay it if we succeed in this mission," Jacob said. "Otherwise the Tok'ra will." He parked the car. "We can just as well get started. Time to hit the first ATM!"

* * *

"Damn that was close!" Jacob said, getting into the car and closing the door after him. "I was just about to activate the device and get the money from the ATM, when I heard someone approaching. I got away without being seen, but I think we should stop for today. It's almost 7AM and way too many people are out and about."

"That sounds like a good idea," Martouf agreed, looking out the window.

"Perhaps we should leave Colorado Springs?" Teal'c suggested. "There are many people here who would recognize me, and given the situation, that would be unfortunate."

"Right." Jacob nodded. "I thought we'd go to Denver. We can sell the jewelry we brought there, and go buy some of what we need - dark suits, a few sets of ordinary clothing... some supplies."

"When will we go to Silver Creek, Minnesota?" Teal'c asked. "Should we not contact O'Neill as soon as possible?"

"We will, but not quite yet." Jacob sighed. "We'll get the funds we need first, then we talk to Jack and see how much he knows. I also want to free Sam as soon as possible, but I realize doing so may compromise our chance of surprising Doctor Jackson. We'll have to trust that she is safe until we find a way of freeing her without causing suspicion." He looked at Teal'c. "You can drive too, right?"

"Indeed, I learned it in 1969," Teal'c said, then elaborated. "When we accidentally travelled through time."

"Right. George told me about that," Jacob said. "It's lucky. While Selmak can keep me awake, or take over driving, it's better if we can take turns and rest now and then."

"As a Jaffa, I do not need sleep," Teal'c reminded him.

"I know. It's still not a good idea to rely on the same person keeping alert and driving all the time. There's other cars on the road, you know."

"We will be driving much?" Martouf asked.

"From time to time, yeah. When we're going to Jack, for instance, it'll take us maybe 14 hours from Denver."

"We will remain in this vessel for such a long duration?" Bra'tac asked, clearly uncomfortable at the thought. "There is very little room for my legs."

"Perhaps we should fly to Colonel O'Neill's cabin in the teltac?" Martouf suggested. "When we're going there, I mean."

"Relax, we're not driving for that long a stretch without some breaks - to eat and such." Jacob rolled his eyes.

"It also takes much longer to travel by this car," Martouf said.

Jacob sighed inaudibly and remarked to Selmak that their travel companions were reminding him of his children when they were little. "It's just better that we stick to the car. Not only is it easier to blend in, but we usually can't exactly land the teltac close to where we want to go!"

* * *

Jacob got back into the car, and handed a large, thick envelope to Teal'c. "I sold a couple of the necklaces and bracelets, and got about five thousand dollars. Together with what we got from the ATMs, we're at nearly fifty thousand dollars."

"Is that a lot?" Martouf asked.

"Depends on what you want to do with it, but yes, I'd say that generally that's a lot. Unfortunately not for what we want to do - which potenitally includes bribing people in high positions. We need a _lot_ more for that."

"And we will get that at this 'casino' you mentioned?" Bra'tac wondered.

"Yes," Jacob confirmed. "Martouf? Do you remember the card games I taught you?"

"I do," Martouf said.

"Good. Casinos are places where people go to gamble for money. I'm hoping we'll be able to use the starting fund we have now to get enough for what we need."

"I know some Tau'ri card games as well," Teal'c told him.

Jacob nodded. "I don't doubt it, Teal'c, but I have reasons for wanting Martouf to do this undercover job."

"Teal'c _does_ know much more about the Tau'ri and their culture than I do, Jacob," Martouf said.

"Yes, but he is a Jaffa. The large golden symbol on his forehead is conspicuous, and something that may make people remember him - and mention it to someone who knows him or at least knows about the Jaffa. Or people could just notice him because of that symbol, which is almost as bad. While I guess you could wear a hat of some kind, it could get knocked off. Besides, some casinos doesn't allow any kind of headwear, because it hides the face of the wearer - particularly for those looking at the surveillance cameras."

"Surveillance cameras?" Martouf asked.

"Yes, the casinos have people sitting behind the scene keeping an eye on everyone, trying to determine if anyone is counting cards, for instance. Which is illegal - and incidentally also what we are going to do, in order to win. Which is another reason I want a Tok'ra there - it's easier to count cards secretly if one does that while the other pretends to just have fun and chat with people around them."

"That makes sense," Martouf agreed.

"Indeed," Teal'c said. "I did not know the Tau'ri were so suspicious."

"At casinos they are - particularly the fairly high end ones, and we're going for one of those since it's more likely we can win enough in one sitting there," Jacob decided.

"I have been told the best place for gambling is in a place called 'Las Vegas'," Teal'c said.

"It should work for what we need at any rate," Jacob agreed, smiling. "Now, our first order of business is getting fake IDs, particularly for Martouf, but it's probably a good idea to get some for all of us."

"Did you not say you still had your 'Driver's License' and that you could use that?" Martouf asked.

"Yes, but on second thought, it's probably better not risking anyone knowing I'm here."

"Where do we get those 'fake I... Ds'?" Bra'tac wondered.

"Well, there's this guy that I served with - it's not something we've talked about openly, but I'm pretty sure he knows someone who can get it for us," Jacob said. "I just hope I can get hold of him - and that he can arrange it quickly."


	5. Learning a Little About the World of the Tau'ri

Jacob had managed to contact his friend, and he had arranged a meeting with him that evening in Denver.

While they waited for evening to come, they had bought clothing and various supplies, then rented a room at a motel.

Before going out to eat at the Applebee's restaurant located just beside the motel, they all changed into some of the new clothing they had bought.

Jacob had put on jeans and a shirt, and now grinned as he looked at the others who were getting dressed as well. "You've got that sweater on backwards, Bra'tac!"

"Tau'ri clothing is completely incomprehensible!" Bra'tac complained. "And these pants... _jeans_ as you call them, are extremely unpleasant. Much too... constricting."

"I can only agree with Bra'tac," Martouf said, touching the material of the jeans he had on. "While the cloth is sturdy, it is also stiff. I do not understand why this type of clothing is so popular, but from the people we passed in the... car, it would seem to be the case."

"Perhaps we got some that are defective?" Bra'tac suggested.

"This is how they are supposed to be," Teal'c said.

"They'll be much more comfortably after a while. Relax," Jacob told them. "You all look just like people from Earth now. That is - as long as you guys remember to wear a hat or something," he told Bra'tac and Teal'c. "Are you ready to go? I'm starving!"

"As am I," Teal'c said, rising.

"Bra'tac - perhaps you should leave your zat'nik'tel here," Jacob said, seeing Bra'tac grab the weapon.

"You did not permit me to bring my staff weapon from the teltac, and now I must go completely defenseless?" Bra'tac said, taken aback.

"I'm sorry, but it would _not_ be a good idea to bring any weapons," Jacob said. "Don't worry. You're in no danger."

Martouf was looking at himself in a full length mirror, then at the others, frowning. "Jacob, did you not say today was some sort of religious holiday?"

"Holiday, yes. Religious, no."

Martouf nodded. "Should we not wear something more... _festive_ , then?"

Jacob snorted. "If we were going to a party, sure, but we're not. We're just going to eat a chain restaurant, so casual clothing is fine. Now, are you coming?"

* * *

"Welcome to Applebee's! My name is Katherine, and I'm going to be your server tonight." She held out four paper top hats. "Since it's New Year's Eve, we have a gift for each of you!"

They took the hats. Everyone but Jacob looked strangely at them, then at the other customers at the restaurant, most of which wore just such a hat.

"Thank you," Martouf said, carefully placing his hat on his head.

Jacob grinned and put on his own hat, and gestured at Teal'c and Bra'tac, who slowly did the same, placing them on top of their knitted caps. Bra'tac wore his paper hat with a long-suffering expression.

Katherine smiled. "Here's your menus. Can I bring you something to drink first?" She gave them each a menu.

"Ah, just some water," Jacob said, quickly. "For all of us."

"I'll be right back," the server said, leaving.

"This means nothing to me," Bra'tac said, putting down the menu card.

"What would you like to eat?" Teal'c asked.

"Do they have roast boar?"

"Um, not whole roasted boar, I'm pretty sure of that." Jacob smiled. "They do have ribs, though. They're usually quite good - at least I think so," he added, when Selmak made a sarcastic remark to him about his unsophisticated taste.

Bra'tac made a curt nod. "I believe I shall try that then."

"As will I. In addition I would like their grilled chicken salad," Teal'c said.

"Teal'c... if you order a full rack of ribs, that's plenty of food," Jacob told him.

"Tau'ri portions are usually quite small," Teal'c said.

Jacob shook his head. "Never mind then. Martouf? Ribs for you too?"

He frowned, looking at the menu again. "While it sounds delicious, I do not want to eat that right now. Or rather, Lantash does not, and as he is not in control much while we are undercover here, we have agreed that he should be allowed to chose the food. So, I would like their chicken with red wine sauce and something called 'portobellos'."

"It's mushrooms," Jacob said. "The portobellos."

Martouf nodded. "That sounds good."

"Okay, I guess we can order then. I want some beer with my ribs, but I know you guys don't drink alcohol." Jacob looked at Teal'c and Bra'tac.

"Ginger ale or orange juice would be acceptable," Teal'c said.

"I will have the same," Bra'tac added.

"Martouf? Do you want beer? Juice? Wine?"

"Since there is red wine in the food, I believe that would be suitable to drink as well."

Jacob nodded. "Okay. The server is coming back to our table. Just let me handle the orders."

* * *

"Is this the traditional Tau'ri way of celebrating religious holidays?" Bra'tac wondered, when the server had brought them their drinks. He looked at the colourful ribbons, streamers, and balloons, and the large banner with the text 'Happy New Year!'.

"Well," Jacob shrugged. "Sometimes, I guess. Mostly not, though. Besides, New Year's Eve isn't a religious holiday. It's more... just a marking of the new year. It's celebrated throughout the planet, except where they follow different calendars."

"I see." Bra'tac frowned, obviously no less confused than before.

Their food soon arrived, and being quite hungry, everyone concentrated on that.

* * *

After eating dinner, including ice cream for dessert - something Bra'tac found very cold and not nearly as good as Teal'c had hoped - they left the restaurant.

"I was told the store over there has a photo booth," Jacob said. "We'll go there and get pictures for the fake ID cards."

"What is a 'photo booth'?" Martouf wondered.

"What kind of pictures do we need?" Bra'tac asked.

"Some types of ID cards have images showing the likeness of the owner of the card," Teal'c explained.

Jacob nodded. "Like Teal'c said. The photo booth has... a type of machinery, used to create a picture of a person. We'll use that. Come on."

* * *

It was late in the evening when Jacob returned from the meeting. Teal'c, Bra'tac, and Martouf were watching a movie, drinking soft drinks, and eating various snacks which Teal'c had procured from the nearby store.

Jacob opened the door and entered, then stopped just inside. The others all looked perturbed - or in Martouf's case, outright shocked.

"What?" Jacob frowned. "What's going on?"

"We are watching Tau'ri entertainment," Bra'tac said.

"It is a movie about alien body-snatching parasites," Teal'c informed him.

"It is very scary. How can you call this 'entertainment'?" Lantash asked. He threw a quick glance at the door. "Would you mind closing the door, Jacob? It is, ah, cold."

Jacob snorted. "Afraid _something_ will sneak in and attack us, eh?" He closed the door.

"Funny," Lantash grumbled.

"Maybe you shouldn't watch horror movies as your first introduction to human entertainment." Jacob grinned. "It _is_ fiction, you know. There's no body-snatching parasites in real life." He listened to a sarcastic comment from Selmak, and added, "Well, not that kind, any way."

Lantash rolled his eyes. "Perhaps we have spent enough time discussing this subject. Did you receive our ID cards?"

"Not yet. I gave the photos to my friend, as well as some minimal information about each of you. You'll get made-up names on the IDs. They should be ready in a couple days - my friend will talk to the person who makes the IDs tomorrow."

"Understood," Lantash said.

They all looked towards the windows, where they had heard what sounded like a small explosion.

"This is not the first of these sounds. Is it some kind of attack?" Bra'tac wondered.

"New Year's Eve. _Fireworks_ ," Jacob said. "Didn't your teammates take you to see that, Teal'c?"

"O'Neill has mentioned it, and last year we decided we were in fact going to do so this year," Teal'c said.

Jacob nodded. "Come on outside if you want to see it - there's some people shooting fireworks somewhere behind the one-story buildings across the road. They've got some nice rockets."

* * *

They had stayed in the motel for two more days, and had finally received their fake IDs - which looked flawless.

The time they had waited had mainly been spent on practicing card games, making sure Martouf - and Lantash in particular - was as good at it as possible.

It was now time to drive to Las Vegas. From Denver it was about 900 miles, a drive of about 14-15 hours if they made it without breaks. Since Teal'c and Jacob took turns, they could drive almost continuously and arrived late evening the same day.

"This is a very strange city!" Martouf remarked as they drove down a street, looking at the many lights and very diverse buildings, most of which were covered in colourful lights.

"Indeed, that is so," Bra'tac added.

Jacob chuckled. "Yeah, it's certainly different from most places on other worlds - and it's in fact pretty unusual for Earth too."

Martouf made a sharp intake of breath. " _Jacob_!"

"What is it?"

"Did you not say there were no Goa'uld on this world? There is a pyramid structure with a transportation beam going..." he hesitated. "No. That is a permanent beam of light. Was it constructed as a duplication of something humans remember from their Goa'uld masters?"

" _That_? No, that's just the Luxor - it's a hotel and a casino. I guess it's deliberately made in a style reminiscent of ancient Egypt, but it doesn't have anything to do with the Goa'uld." Jacob hesitated. "Well, except that the Goa'uld _did_ influence culture in ancient Egypt, _a lot_ , so I guess in a way you're right."

"That is the place where we are going to gamble?" Teal'c asked.

"It's one possibility, yes. I thought we'd take a look at a few of them. Check them out, and get a feel for the places," Jacob said. "Then, we pick one, and you, Martouf, dress up and go there, pretending to be someone who's either inherited some money or won them - and wants to have a good time. Just pretending to have fun, and not really pay much attention to the games."

Martouf nodded. "And meanwhile, Lantash 'counts cards', as you call it."

"Exactly." Jacob frowned. "I believe we need something else... something to distract the guards, when you hopefully start winning a lot."

"Perhaps Bra'tac and I can create a diversion?" Teal'c suggested.

"It's probably not a good idea. We don't want any attention to be drawn to you guys," Jacob said. "I was thinking something... beautiful to look at. A gorgeous woman, for instance."

"We could have asked Anise to accompany us, or perhaps Zarin. Though I fear the High Council would not have agreed to let any more operatives join us," Martouf said.

"I agree. It's not a problem. We can hire an, ah, escort. As long as we watch what we tell her, it should work just fine."

"What is an 'escort'?" Martouf wondered.

"It's a, well, a professional... _companion_. Often for sexual services, but not solely," Jacob explained. "They can be hired from a number of agencies."

"It is a _sex slave_? I thought the Tau'ri did not have slavery," Martouf said, appalled. "Am I expected to mate with her?"

" _No_! She'll just accompany you, pretend to be your companion," Jacob said. "And escorts are not sex slaves." He hesitated. "Well, I guess it happens, but not in the more reputable places as far as I know." He sighed. "There is still slavery in many places on Earth, though. In any case, Selmak suggests _courtesan_ may be a better word, one which is used on various other planets."

"I understand." Martouf nodded.

"Let's see if they have rooms available here," Jacob decided, turning into the parking lot of a smaller, less expensive looking hotel.


	6. The Casino

"The decor is... certainly unusual," Bra'tac said.

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed, frowning.

"I did not think the Tau'ri shared such questionable taste with the Goa'uld!" Martouf said, looking around at the polished, colourful walls and floors. Many places were covered with gold - or something that resembled it at any rate. There were also large statues in the ancient Egyptian style, as well as palm trees and fountains.

Jacob snorted and spoke in a low voice, "More than you can imagine, sometimes. In fact, I'm not always so sure it's a Goa'uld trait specifically. Anyway, please don't talk loudly about the Goa'uld, or the Tau'ri - or anything else that would sound strange to people here. For God's sake don't mention other planets or spaceships or whatever!"

"We already assured you we would not!" Bra'tac said, looking insulted.

"Good. Now, come on - let's get this over with."

* * *

A couple days later, they had finished checking out the casinos and had picked one. Martouf had dressed up in a black suit they had bought for him, and was about ready to go to the entrance of the casino, where he would meet the escort Jacob had hired.

"You're sure you don't have any more questions?" Jacob asked.

Martouf pulled at his tie for the fourth time since Jacob had tied it for him. "No. I am prepared." He pulled at the tie again. "Do I _have_ to wear this?"

"Yes, and leave it alone!" Jacob tightened the tie again for him and straightened it. "Repeat what you're going to do."

Martouf sighed. "I go meet the 'escort' on the stairs to the casino. I give her this." He raised his left hand and showed the flower he was carrying. "Then we go eat at the restaurant there, before continuing to the gambling area of the casino. In order to make it look like I am merely there to have fun, I try a few different types of games, including "craps", "blackjack", and "poker". I should focus on "blackjack", since I have the best chance with that game. Lantash counts cards while I "joke" and "flirt" with my escort. When I have hopefully won enough, I give her maybe an extra thousand dollars, and then I leave."

"Excellent." Jacob smiled and patted him on the back. "You'll do just fine."

"Good luck," Teal'c told him.

"We'll be in there too - if something goes wrong," Jacob assured him.

* * *

"So, you won a large sum of money, and now you want to see if you can win more?"

Martouf nodded at the young woman sitting across from him at the restaurant. "Yes, miss Jameson, that is correct. I wish to try and win more money - and have fun while doing so," he added, prompted by Lantash.

"Well, in that case I think you should call me Kira instead of "miss Jameson" - don't you think it sounds a bit... _formal_?"

"You are correct. Kira." Martouf gave her one of his charming smiles. "I apologize, I am not very experienced with the correct behaviour in situations such as this."

"Been a while, huh?" Kira grinned. She took a drink from her glass of wine.

Martouf took a drink too, and was saved from coming up with anything to say when the server brought their food.

* * *

"I need to see your ID to let you enter, sir," the guard said. "You too, miss."

Kira gave the guard her ID, and Martouf did the same, feeling a slight apprehension that it might be recognized as fake.

"Okay, you're good. Welcome miss Jameson and mr. Bourne." The guard gave them back their IDs.

Martouf let out an inaudible sigh of relief and pocketed his ID card.

"So - what do you want to try first?" Kira asked.

Martouf looked out over the vast room, filled with various kinds of gambling tables and many people flocking around each of them. He listened to Lantash's suggestion, reminding him to pretend to have 'fun'.

"I believe I would like to purchase a drink first. For both of us, if you are amenable - and then try out a number of different games. Perhaps starting with 'blackjack'." He smiled at her.

Kira smiled and hooked her arm under his. "Lead the way."

* * *

Martouf got into the car and handed the sack of money to Jacob. He took a deep breath and relaxed back into the seat,

Jacob grinned. "You do know you were supposed to 'have a good time', right? You seem as tense and stressed out as if you'd been caught by a Goa'uld."

Martouf snorted and gave Lantash control. "Perhaps we would have had 'a good time' if the success of the mission did not hinge on us being able to behave suitably like a Tau'ri - while at the same time pretending to have fun _and_ counting cards _and_ keeping an eye on everyone in our surroundings."

"Good thing you are two, then!" Jacob smiled. "Sorry. You did a great job. We hit one more casino tomorrow, and if it goes as well as this one we'll have more than enough for what we need."

Lantash sighed. "Yes, Jacob."

"I actually found it most illuminating to learn about this part of Tau'ri life," Bra'tac said. "Of course, gambling is not an honourable profession for a warrior."

"Of course not." Lantash rolled his eyes, but not so that Bra'tac saw it. He and Martouf had seen how Bra'tac - very eagerly - played several games in the casino.

* * *

Two days later they had managed to get together enough money for carrying out their plan, and they left Las Vegas.

"I called Harriman. He'd managed to dig up a bit more information about the place they're holding Sam. He got hold of some old floor plans, which he's mailing to Jack's cabin. We can pick it up there," Jacob said.

"We are going to Colonel O'Neill's cabin now?" Martouf asked.

"Yes," Jacob confirmed. "We're buying a few things on the way, but we should get there before the letter does."

"How are we going to free Samantha?" Martouf wondered.

"I haven't figured that part out yet," Jacob admitted.

"Could we not just make an assault on the prison?" Teal'c asked. "We are four, and have zat'nik'tels - and you have hand devices as well. We should be able to take it."

"Or we can blow up the entrance with this 4C of yours," Bra'tac suggested.

"C4, and using either explosives or alien weaponry kind of defeats our plan for a covert mission. Ignoring the fact that we're not supposed to let anyone outside Stargate Command and a few others know of aliens, we also don't want to alert Doctor Jackson to our presence here. It'll be hard enough to get to him as it is. No, freeing Sam must be done in such a way that it appears she escaped on her own, or with the help of friends here on Earth," Jacob said.

"Then Colonel O'Neill could perhaps free her - with the secret help from us," Teal'c said.

Jacob nodded slowly. "Possibly - but I suspect we'll need him to be free of suspicion when we're moving on Doctor Jackson."

"Then, perhaps Samantha could be given some drug that makes it appear as if she is gravely ill or in a deep coma?" Martouf suggested. "Would they not take her from her cell and bring her to a healer's place, where we could easier free her from?"

"That is not a bad idea, actually." Jacob dipped his head, giving Selmak control.

"We could create a drug for Sam to ingest, which will make her violently ill - for a short time. If we inform her it will happen, she can then be ready to escape on her own, perhaps with some minor assistance, when she has been taken to an infirmary or hospital."

Jacob got control again. "I think that's the best plan we can come up with, for now at least. We'll check out the floor plans when we get them."


	7. Jack O'Neill's cabin

It was late afternoon on the eighth of January, when Teal'c parked their car on a forested path about a mile from O'Neill's cabin.

"This way," Teal'c said, after locking the car.

"Here - better bring weapons, in case he's not alone," Jacob said, handing each of them a zat'nik'tel.

They walked along a narrow path to O'Neill's cabin, staying away from the road. It was unlikely anyone would pass by and see them, but it was better to be careful.

A small layer of snow, perhaps a few inches, was covering the ground and the air was cold. The temperature was around 3-4 degrees Fahrenheit, and they all pulled their new coats closer together around them.

"We must circle the pond and enter from the front of the building," Teal'c said, when they had reached the small lake behind O'Neill's cabin.

The sun had now set completely, and it was getting darker. They hesitated for a few moments, listening, but all was quiet. They could now see there was a light in the cabin, so O'Neill was likely home.

"I don't see anyone inside, but I'm going to gamble Jack doesn't have any guests right now," Jacob said.

Teal'c nodded. "That would seem unlikely. As far as I know, he usually go here for the solitude, except for the few instances when he attempts to lure the rest of us with him."

"Poor you!" Jacob grinned. "Okay, let's assume he's alone then."

They walked around the pond, and arrived at the front of the cabin.

"One car. O'Neill's," Teal'c observed.

"I'll go first. Wait here," Jacob said.

The others stayed in the bushes by the corner of the building, while Jacob walked up to the front door and knocked.

It did not take long before the door was opened and O'Neill appeared. " _Jacob_?!" he exclaimed, obviously surprised. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"It's... a long story. Are you alone?"

O'Neill nodded. "Yes." He shook his head but stepped aside. "Come on in."

"Thanks." Jacob smiled, relieved. "I'm not alone - are my friends welcome too?"

"Depending on who they are, I suppose." O'Neill looked concerned.

"Teal'c!" Jacob called.

"Hello, O'Neill." Teal'c bowed his head in greeting.

"Teal'c!" O'Neill looked at him, shocked. "Daniel told me you had betrayed us and escaped. I didn't believe you would betray us, but Harriman confirmed you had left through the Stargate - and that guards had tried to stop you."

"Indeed. They very nearly succeeded."

"He was badly injured when he was found," Jacob said.

O'Neill frowned, and nodded slowly. "I'm sorry to hear that, Teal'c - and very glad that you're okay. Come on in, both of you, so we can talk." O'Neill looked to Jacob, grinning. "And here I was afraid you'd brought the entire Tok'ra council or something when you mentioned friends."

"Not quite." Jacob smiled wryly. "Bra'tac! Martouf!"

The two others joined them, and O'Neill looked at them with his eyebrows raised. "Bra'tac - and _Martouf_!" He shook his head. "This is getting weirder and weirder. I thought for sure you were dead, Marty!"

"Not quite," Martouf said. "Though I shall admit I almost were, and probably would have been, had it not been for Jacob insisting I join him on this mission."

O'Neill looked to Jacob, who sighed.

"There were some... disagreements. Never mind, that's not why we're here," Jacob said.

"I think I know why you're here." O'Neill sighed. "Come on inside. It's not a discussion I want to risk anyone overhearing."

* * *

"I didn't know Carter was in prison," O'Neill admitted. "I guess I didn't want to know." He shook his head. "What did she do?"

"She realized that Daniel Jackson had become corrupted by his Goa'uld genetic memory and tried to make him see this. Failing that, she attempted to call the attention of others to that fact," Teal'c said.

"I must admit I've got a hard time accepting some of this. I mean, yeah, sure, I know Daniel's been acting a bit weird, but I can't believe he's _actually_ behind throwing Carter in jail - or that he would have harmed you, Teal'c. It must have been someone acting without his knowledge."

"Believe it! Daniel Jackson is well aware what happens, and certainly gave the order himself!" Teal'c said. "O'Neill. I _know_ he is your friend. He is my friend as well, but he is no longer the Daniel Jackson we knew."

Jacob dipped his head, giving Selmak control.

"Goa'uld genetic memory is very powerful, particularly when you are exposed to it without any protection or not gradually. I can only speculate on the horrific effect fully developed Goa'uld genetic memories would have on an unprepared human mind," Selmak said.

"Of _course_ you can't imagine a mere _human_ being able to handle it!" O'Neill rolled his eyes. "Typical Tok'ra arrogance!"

"Even symbiotes gain access to it slowly, over several years, as they mature. In addition, humans are likely not able to handle it nearly as well as a symbiote," Selmak said. "Those are facts, nothing else."

"It is a rare Goa'uld who can fight the accumulated genetic memory of their forebears. Combined with years of using the sarcophagus, it may not even be possible. The number of Goa'uld who has ever changed allegiance and become Tok'ra are no more than ten - the rest of us were born by Egeria," Lantash said. "We have the advantage of Egeria's wisdom and experiences, and also have not inherited all the genetic memories of her ancestors. We cannot claim to have conquered the effects of the Goa'uld genetic memory, since we were spared having to do so."

"Lantash is correct. I am certain many - if not most of us - would have failed, had we been forced to fight what your Doctor Jackson is fighting now," Selmak said.

"All right." O'Neill sighed, mollified. "So it really _is_ that powerful." He was silent for some moments. "Okay, I guess Daniel may be losing this - and so will the rest of us, if he's allowed to continue. I just don't know what we can do. I really don't want to have to... stop him."

Jacob nodded. "Our plan is not to kill him. We're hoping we can help him."

"You have a plan?" O'Neill asked.

"Yes, but we need your help," Jacob said.

"Let me hear what you're going to do - and how you're going to get to Daniel. _And_ fix him," O'Neill said.

"Do you have a beer or something? This is going to take a while," Jacob said.

"Sure." He looked to Teal'c. "I've got some orange juice too - for anyone who prefers that."

* * *

"You hope to bribe a few of the guards at Daniel's mansion, and then take the rest of them down, just the five of us?" O'Neill asked, disbelieving.

"Plus Sam," Jacob said.

"Right, you want me to bring Carter a drug that makes her sick, and then gamble they take her to a hospital or somewhere else where she can escape from." O'Neill shook his head. "Then, using her knowledge of Daniel's mansion, and with the guards hopefully incapacitated, we storm the place, grab Daniel, kidnap him, fly offworld with him, and take him to the Asgard who can hopefully fix him. Do you know how crazy and desperate your plan sounds? I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm all for crazy and desperate, but isn't this stretching it?"

Jacob gave him a wry grin. "Why, you think this is worse than some of the stuff SG-1 has done? From what Sam has told me, I'd think you were used to it."

O'Neill grinned. "Perhaps you're right. Okay, I still think this is crazy, and that we're probably going to be killed all of us, but the way things are going with Daniel, I guess something needs to be done. So - I'm in."

"Great!" Jacob smiled. "Oh, Harriman has sent a letter with schematics of the jail Sam's in - it should arrive tomorrow or the day after, then we can see if it helps our plan or not."

* * *

The letter arrived the next day, and the floor plans for the prison building where Sam was kept, was included.

"If they haven't changed it, it looks like there's a small clinic on the ground floor of this building," Jacob said, pointing to a smaller house connected to the larger one which was the prison itself. "Harriman says there is a fence around the building, which he has marked with the dashed lines on this map." He pulled over a piece of paper where the prison was seen from above, with doors and fence marked out.

"If that is correct, the clinic is partially outside the fence - with one door on the outside, at least," O'Neill said.

"Then, if Samantha is taken there, she may be able to escape. At least if we make a diversion," Martouf suggested.

"Yes, that's what I hope," Jacob said, thoughtfully. He looked through the floor plans and produced one for the building with the clinic. "It looks like there's two entrances - one from the prison, and one from the outside. Six rooms on the ground floor and a couple in the basement."

"Too bad we don't know which ones are used for treating the patients," O'Neil said. "Looks like four of the rooms on the ground floor are big enough to be either offices or examination rooms - I'm guessing the one by the door to the outside is the office, and the last one connects with the prison itself."

Jacob nodded. "That would make sense. One of the others also has windows to the outside, but I suspect they're barred, so it wouldn't matter much. No, if we're to get her out, one of us needs to be there to help her escape, but I still think it's the best way."

"I agree. Maybe we could pretend to be delivering something?" O'Neill suggested.

"Possibly. It would have to be timed very precisely, though." Jacob sighed. "Well, Selmak thinks we can make a drug which should take effect and wear off after known times, but the problem is that Sam isn't a normal human. The changes from Jolinar means she's more resistant to most drugs, but we don't know _exactly_ how much more."

"Which means we may end up having to use force instead of diversion to get her out. Maybe even carry her, if she's still unconscious." O'Neill nodded. "Got it. We should wait until as shortly as possibly before we move on Daniel, or he'll suspect someone will make an attempt on him after freeing Carter."

"Agreed, but we're going to need her knowledge about the layout of the mansion," Jacob said. "As well as her help when we're trying to grab Doctor Jackson."

"I may be able to get you some more information about Daniel's place - I just need an excuse to visit him." O'Neill sighed. "It would have been easier if I hadn't quit working for him - or if I had just stopped by to say hi now and then, I guess."

Jacob shook his head. "You can always be wise in hindsight. When is the weapon he's building finished?"

"Soon. Two-three weeks, I think," O'Neill said. "I can easily find out."

"Then, that may be an occasion for you to visit, at least. To celebrate the completion," Teal'c suggested.

"I agree," Jacob said. "Since he'll probably be occupied with that then, we'll free Sam at the same time. Would you be able to visit her without it seeming suspicious?"

"Sure." O'Neill considered it. "Well, Daniel is pretty suspicious right now, but I can't imagine he would think it was strange for me to check up on one of my former team mates."

"Okay, in that case you should go visit her shortly before going to talk to Daniel. Just say hello, ask how she's doing - and if possible, appear as if you don't understand why she's behaving as she did, suspecting Doctor Jackson and so on," Jacob said.

O'Neill nodded. "I can do that. It won't even seem strange. I did tell her I didn't believe anything was wrong with Daniel, and that I thought she should stop talking to everyone about it. It'll be believable."

"Good. Then hopefully you can somehow hand her the drug and a short message without being discovered," Jacob said.

"Surreptitiously grab the cell bars while talking and then place it on the inside of them, perhaps?" Martouf suggested.

"Maybe - but it'll have to be small for that to work," O'Neill said.

"That should not be an issue," Jacob said. "Okay. Next problem - figuring out which of Daniel's guards to approach, and how to go about it. We also need to set up surveillance to learn their routines. At the prison too, I guess."


	8. Preparations for Freeing Sam

They had spent the next couple of weeks preparing. In order to keep a lookout on both the prison and on Daniel's mansion, they had rented a place in an apartment hotel outside Denver. Teal'c and Martouf kept surveillance on the prison, while the others staked out the mansion. They had also bought another car, since they had deemed it too dangerous to use O'Neill's for most things. It could be recognized.

After contacting Harriman, they had the date for Daniel's weapon's test. It would take place on January 21st, at 3PM.

That was now only four days away, and they were planning how to move forward.

"So, we have the schedules for the guards. We know when they are changed. We also know when supplies arrive," Jacob said.

"Indeed. We also know which pizza place they order from," Teal'c added. "Their pizza is most agreeable."

"I recognized one of the guards. He worked at Stargate Command before and I'm pretty sure he can be trusted. When I go to talk to Daniel, I'll strike up a conversation with him and see if I can tell if he's likely to help us," O'Neill said.

"There's another one who regularly sneaks off to smoke or grab a coke. I suspect we may be able to bribe him, but I don't know about the others."

"Well, one works outside and another inside. If we can get them to 'disappear' when it's time for us to move on Daniel, then it's fewer guards to take out."

"The guy you know, he works inside the building, right, Jack?" Jacob asked.

"He does, but if you're going where I think you are, then I don't know if he's willing. If we fail, Daniel is likely to punish anyone involved severely."

"Ask him anyway. We have constructed a jammer which should take out the cameras. If we can get him to turn off the alarms, or just give us more information about them, then that would help us a lot."

O'Neill nodded. "Allright. I'll see how it goes. Marty, how's the plan for freeing Carter coming along?"

"All is prepared. A drug has been made which will make Samantha violently ill after about 15 minutes. She should take it when her mid-day meal is served. She will soon lose consciousness, but will recover in about one to two hours. Hopefully, she will have been taken to the healer's room... I mean, the infirmary, by then. She should be placed in one of three rooms, all adjacent to either the office that has the entrance, or a corridor leading from it. Since no one should know Bra'tac and I, we will pretend to work for a delivery company, arriving while Samantha is in the infirmary. We have prepared a diversion, which should allow us to contact her and help her to escape."

O'Neill nodded. "Sounds good. I'll bring her the drug, together with a note. Did you find something that can be used to make it stick to the bars?"

"We did."

"Okay. Cameras?"

"Yes, unfortunately the area is under surveillance, but we have means to cause interference with the recording, so it should not be a problem. In fact, we have already tested it, and intend to do so again tomorrow, twice, in order to make them think there is some problem with the system."

"Great. Okay, so in three days I go and pay Carter a visit, and the day after that is when we want her to take the drug, right?" O'Neill asked.

"Yes," Jacob said. "Sam's illness will hopefully make them think of food poisoning, so they shouldn't be suspicious. Of course, you'll have to be careful when you talk to Sam. Don't give any indication you agree with her about Doctor Jackson, or you may not get out again when you go visit him later."

"Agreed. I will visit him while you free Carter, since that is when the weapon is ready. That should also delay any response from him if they call him from the prison," O'Neill said.

* * *

O'Neill took a deep breath, and then exited his car and walked up to the prison. He had the drug in a small capsule, which also contain a thin sliver of paper with instructions. The capsule would stick to one of the bars - how he did not know, since it did not seem sticky and they had denied it was magnetic, but the Tok'ra had assured him it would.

Now he just needed to carry this off and get it placed there without anyone becoming suspicious. The cell was almost certainly under surveillance, and they could not risk jamming the cameras. It would look suspicious if they stopped working just as he entered.

He would have to make it clear to whomever was watching - and possibly listening as well - that he did _not_ agree with his former second in command when it came to Daniel.

Pushing aside all concerns, he walked up to the guards standing by the entrance. "Hello. I'm Colonel Jack O'Neill..."

* * *

Sam looked at the door as it closed behind her former commanding officer. She shook her head, not really understanding why he had come at all, if he felt she had screwed up so badly. Of course, she already knew that he had a hard time believing Daniel could do anything evil. Truth be told, she would never have thought so herself, had she not been working so closely with him, noticing his personality changing.

Even so, the Colonel had been outright antagonistic towards most everything she had said. It had been almost as if he had come there _looking_ for a fight. It made no sense - unless he had to do it, in order to avoid Daniel's suspicion.

That made no sense either, not really. Not that she would not think Daniel was suspicious, and not that it was not probably the sensible thing to do, for O'Neill to distance himself from her completely. It almost certainly was, and she knew she was under surveillance - and a guard also stayed there during their talk - so perhaps that was it? A show for Daniel, so he could see O'Neill was not someone he had to make 'disappear'.

Except, that made no sense - O'Neill was not the kind of man who betrayed his friends and teammates for his own safety. No matter how logical it would have been, given that she was certainly going to 'disappear' soon.

She shook her head again, for a moment seeing Colonel O'Neill standing there, grabbing the bars as he shouted something about how _she_ had betrayed her friends. He had left moments later.

That was when her gaze fell on _something_ that stuck to the bars. Her first impulse was to go and see what it was, but her next thought made her change her mind.

What if it was something O'Neill had placed there? What if his visit was all a ruse, to bring her something? But why would he do that if he did not believe her?

She decided to wait until it was time for her to be fed. She could always go and grab the bars after they brought the food, and yell at the guard - and try to rattle the bars a little. It would not look suspicious, as she had done it before, and it would give her a chance to get whatever it was that was stuck there.

She hoped it was not just lint or something.

* * *

"...and tell Daniel I want to talk to him! He can't just keep me here like this, without even charging me with anything!" she shouted after the guard, pulling at the bars. Having made sure the small whatever-it-was was safely in her hand, she gave the bars an angry kick then turned and went to sit on the bench, glaring angrily at the barred door that had now closed behind the guard.

Listening to his steps receding, she surreptitiously felt the small capsule she now held in her hand, but decided she did not dare check it further here, in front of the camera. Instead she ate her food and waited for a suitable time. Since the toilet was in the cell with her, she could not even get privacy by going there.

She waited until it was almost time for lights out, and then climbed into bed and rolled over on her side, facing the wall. When she felt enough time had passed that anyone watching would have tired of it, she got out the small capsule and examined it under the blanket, making sure to make as few movements as possible.

When she pushed both ends of the capsule, it opened and folded out flat, immediately proving this was not Earth technology. She found a small pill and a rolled up piece of paper. The moment she had removed both from the now flat container, it fell apart between her fingers, turning to dust.

Now very curious, she unrolled the paper and read it. The message was short:

_Sam. Take the drug tomorrow, at lunch. In 15 minutes it will make you sick and unconscious. We will attempt rescue from the infirmary. Dad._

That explained the technology! Her father had brought it from the Tok'ra, but could she really believe he was here, on Earth? To rescue her? It sounded unbelievable, but the handwriting was his.

Hoping this was not somehow a trick from Daniel, she decided to do as she was told, and take the drug tomorrow.

* * *

She had just taken a drink from her juice, when the first wave of dizziness hit her. They got the timing right, Sam mused, throwing a glance at the clock. It had been almost exactly 15 minutes since she took the small pill.

She ate another bite from her food, and drank some more of the juice they had given her. Not knowing how sick she would become, she did not want to fill up her stomach now.

Moments later, she felt nauseous and the dizziness got worse. She got up to go to the bed, but she had not taken many steps before she felt a throbbing in her head, followed by a strong pain in her stomach which caused her to double over and gasp out loud. Seconds later everything became black and she slid to the floor.

* * *

"She just fainted," the guard told the medics who had hurried to the cell in response to the call.

"Open the door," one of the medics ordered.

The guard hesitated, but when Sam did not move he nodded and complied. He remained outside the cell, his gun at the ready if she was faking it.

"She is completely unconscious. She also has a low temperature, and a rapid heart beat. We need to take her to the infirmary immediately."

"Wait while I call this in to my superiors."

"Be quick. I am sure they won't want her to die, and I can't promise she will not, if we don't get her there soon," one of the medics said.

* * *

"Put her in examination room two," the doctor said. "Do we know if she ate something that could have made her sick?"

"She was having her lunch, so that is possible," the medic told her.

"Make sure to bag the lunch so we can test it." She sighed, feeling her patient's forehead. "What about the other prisoners, did they get food from the same place?"

"They did, but none of the others have become sick." He hesitated. "Yet. That I know of."

"Find out!" the doctor ordered, and began taking out various instruments so she could examine Sam and find out what was going on.


	9. Freeing Sam

"Doctor McCoy is a bit touchy today, isn't she?" one of the medics commented to the receptionist when the door to the examination room had closed behind him and the other medic.

The receptionist grinned. "Yeah, I think she was out late with some of her friends from med school, celebrating that one of them had gotten a promotion. I think she has a bad headache."

"Ah, that explains things," the medic grinned.

"Ah, crap! Not _again_!" the receptionist complained.

"What?" the other of the medics asked.

"The damn surveillance system! There's some bug in the system, causing it to black out! Happened two-three times already in the last couple days! I've called it in, but they haven't been able to find the error yet. Damn incompetent fools!" he swore.

The door opened just then, and two men entered, Martouf and Jacob. They both took in the room, with the receptionist, the two medics, and one guard posted outside one of the doors.

Jacob approached the receptionist's desk. "I have your delivery of toilet paper for you, I assume I'm unloading them inside the cargo reception, like usual?" he asked.

"What toilet paper?" the receptionist asked, looking confused, and not a little annoyed.

"This order here," Jacob said, showing him the very real looking delivery note. "We received it yesterday, and I'll have to admit it was hard getting that much in such a short time, but we got it."

"I have not been notified of this..."

"Listen, I don't _care_ if you've been notified or not. I want to get this delivery done so I can go to lunch. We're already late as it is," Jacob insisted, raising his voice. He turned towards Martouf. "There's _always_ problems with this place! You remember last time? When they insisted they had ordered _red_ blankets instead of blue, even if it _clearly_ said blue on the order?"

"I don't have anything about an order of toilet paper here. You'll have to come back."

"Come _back_? This place is ways off from our route anyway, and now you want us to come back? I think _not_!" Jacob fished a cell phone out of his pocket. "I'm calling the office. Then _they_ can take it up with your boss."

"No, wait!" the receptionist cried out.

The door to the examination room opened, and Doctor McCoy stuck her head out, looking irritated. "What's all this noise?" She spotted the medics. "Why are you still here? You were supposed to go and bag the patient's lunch! What if they've thrown it out? How am I to analyze something that's mixed up with trash?"

"Sorry, doctor, we're leaving now."

The two medics hurried out. The doctor glared at the receptionist. "Well?"

"There's just a problem with a delivery. I can't find the order in the system."

The doctor snorted. "That's no surprise! You can never find anything! Accept the damn delivery and stop making such infernal noise!"

"Of course, doctor," the receptionist said, meekly.

Somewhat mollified, the doctor disappeared back into the examination room and closed the door behind her.

"I just need your signature here, and then we'll unload it in the cargo reception."

"Sure, let me take a look," the receptionist said, sighing. He took a pen and skimmed the delivery note, before signing for reception. "Okay, I just need to call the guys out there and tell them to expect you." He lifted the receiver and dialled an internal number. "Hello? Yeah, this is James. We've got a delivery of toilet paper. They'll be with you in a moment... okay, bye!" He hung up. "Just go 'round. They're expecting you."

"Great, thanks!" Jacob said, looking towards Martouf who had pretended to walk aimlessly around the office, and just now happened to be close by the guard. He nodded at him, then suddenly raised his left hand and activated the hara'kesh he had there.

The receptionist did not have time to react before Jacob had used the weapon to confuse him. Martouf acted at the same time, using _his_ hara'kesh on the guard. When both stood, staring harmlessly before them, Martouf knocked on the door to the examination room.

"What now?" a voice shouted from in there.

"There is a problem, could you come out?" Martouf answered.

The door opened and the doctor looked out. " _What_! Who are you?"

Martouf smiled at her and activated his hara'kesh. "We have come for your patient. Please step aside and let us take her."

The doctor got a distant look on her face and did as he told her.

"Get Sam, then we'd better be going," Jacob said. "We only have like ten-fifteen minutes before these guys wake up. They won't remember what's happened, but it's probably better if we're not here."

Martouf nodded and went into the examination room. Sam was lying on the examination table, dressed in an orange overall, with the top opened. He worriedly held his hand over her forehead, evaluating her energy signature in the way the Tok'ra checked on each other, before scooping her up into his arms. "Coming. She is still unconscious."

"Okay." Jacob stepped up to them and quickly checked on her. "Come on! We need to make that delivery before anyone gets suspicious."

They hurried to the truck, where they put Sam on a mattress in the back, then activated a hologram which made it look like there was absolutely nothing there.

Then they drove the short distance to the cargo delivery. The large door opened just as they stopped, and a man came out towards them. "You're the ones with the TP delivery?"

Jacob looked out of the open window of the truck. "Yeah. Just a moment."

He and Martouf exited and went to the back of the truck and got out the pallet of toilet paper they had in there.

"Where do you wish us to put it?" Martouf asked, carefully getting the pallet jack under it, while listening to Lantash's comments about primitive Tau'ri technology.

"Just put it inside and to the left. We'll move it later."

Martouf did that - slowly, and with several attempts, but finally succeeding.

"He's new," Jacob explained, shrugging. "And he'd better get a lot more skilled quickly if he wants to keep the job!"

Martouf rolled his eyes at Jacob and returned the pallet jack to the back of the truck. He looked towards where he knew Sam was, behind the hologram, and hoped she did not wake up just now.

Thankfully, she did not, and a few moments later they were back in the truck, driving out from the prison area.

They had made it!

* * *

The receptionist shook his head. He felt strangely confused. Looking around, he spotted the guard standing by the door to the examination room and remembered they had a prisoner in there, being examined.

He took a deep breath, trying to clear his mind, then looked down at the paper before him. A delivery note. He had no memory of anyone delivering anything, but someone must have. He had signed for it. He sighed. He really had to start going to bed earlier, he felt tired, and it was as if there was a fog in his mind.

He glanced at the guard again. He looked rather bored, and the receptionist took that as a good sign. If anything bad had happened, the guard would not just be standing there. The memory lapse was worrying, but he pushed it aside and put the delivery note into a folder before returning to the crossword he had been doing earlier that day.

He had only worked on it for a few minutes, when the door to the examination room was slammed open and Doctor McCoy appeared.

"The patient is gone!"

" _What_? How can she be gone?" the guard exclaimed, rushing into the room.

"I don't know!"

They quickly searched the rooms of the infirmary, then sounded the general alarm.

* * *

"The prisoner is gone, but none of you remember seeing her escape?" the police detective asked.

"That... that is correct," the receptionist said, feeling stupid.

Doctor McCoy shook her head. "I can't explain it, but yeah, that's what happened."

"Was anyone else here?" the detective asked.

"No. Well, there were some delivery guys, but I don't think they could have been involved," the guard said.

"Deliver guys? When? Where did they come from?" the police detective asked.

"Uh, I have the delivery note here somewhere..." the receptionist dug out the piece of paper and handed it to the detective.

"Okay, we'll contact the company and interview them later. Can you describe them?"

The receptionist and the guard looked at each other, and then at the doctor, then all shook their heads.

" _None_ of you can describe them?" the police detective sounded incredulous.

"I suspect we were drugged by those who helped the prisoner escape. Our amnesia could be explained by that," the doctor said. "I should see if I can trace it in my blood. I do feel a bit sick."

"The guys out in the delivery reception can probably describe them," the receptionist said.

"And they shouldn't be affected by any drug in the air," Doctor McCoy added.

The police detective sighed. He just knew this was going to be a difficult case.

* * *

"So, two men. Both white. One of them older, balding, maybe mid to late fifties. The other one young, late twenties, with brown hair and pale eyes," the detective repeated, checking his notes.

"Yup, and the young one wasn't very good at using a pallet jack. Clearly he was a new hire," the warehouse worker said.

The detective nodded, writing it down. "Could they have been hiding a prisoner in the back of their truck?"

"Nope, absolutely not. The toilet paper they delivered was the only thing left back there, except for the pallet jack. I'd have seen it if there was anyone hiding back there."

"Okay, thanks. We'll contact you again if there is more we need to know."


	10. Making Plans

Jacob and Martouf had driven back to the place where they had parked their car, inside a small forest outside Denver. Martouf remained there with the still unconscious Sam, while Jacob drove away to return the truck they had rented.

The truck rental was only about a mile from the forest, so Jacob returned quickly and drove the car back to the place where they were staying.

After making sure no one was looking, they carried the unconscious Sam into the apartment.

Teal'c and Bra'tac were in there when they arrived.

"How is Major Carter?" Teal'c asked, worried.

"I would have expected her to have awakened by now, but we may have made the drug slightly stronger than needed," Martouf said, placing her on one of the beds.

Just then, Sam made a soft sound and moved a little, then suddenly opened her eyes. She frowned and looked at him. " Martouf? _Martouf_!"

"Yes, Samantha. You're safe."

"Where am I?" She sat up, then groaned and lay down again.

"Be careful. Your body has not yet cleared the drug," Martouf said.

"How can you be here, Martouf? On Earth - and _alive_?"

"It is a long story, but we are here to stop Daniel Jackson," Martouf said.

"Indeed. Myself, Bra'tac, Jacob, and Martouf, together with O'Neill are trying to capture Daniel Jackson."

"And hopefully fix him. Hi, Sam," Jacob said.

"Dad!" Sam slowly shook her head, when she saw him, Teal'c, and Bra'tac too.

Jacob smiled at her. "How are you feeling, Sammie?"

"I've been better, but I'm really happy to be out of that prison cell!" Sam said. "You're really here to do something about Daniel?"

"Yes," Teal'c confirmed.

"Teal'c - I'm so glad you made it away. I wasn't sure what had happened."

"As am I," Teal'c said.

"Listen, have you got something to eat? I'm suddenly feeling very hungry. I didn't get to eat much of the lunch at the prison." She smiled. "I'm starting to feel a little better." She sat up. "And I'd also really like to know what's going on."

Martouf nodded. "The drug makes you become hungry."

"Yeah, it's a side effect. I'll get you a sandwich and something to drink. The others can begin getting you up to date," Jacob said, leaving the bedroom.

* * *

It was a few hours later when the door to their place opened and O'Neill entered, looking upset.

"Jack! What happened?" Jacob asked. "We heard a siren go off maybe an hour ago, and they say on the news that people should stay inside. They've declared a state of emergency!"

"Sir!" Sam looked at him. "What did Daniel say?"

O'Neill closed the door and went to sit down, shaking his head. Then he got up again. "I need a beer."

He went to the kitchen, then returned to the living room where the others were waiting.

"Well?" Jacob asked.

O'Neill took a long drink from his beer, then sat down. "Okay." He shook his head again. "Things just went _completely_ crazy! I'm happy I made it here! I mean, Daniel - he _wiped out Moscow_!"

"He did what?" Sam asked, shocked.

"Used the weapon to blow up Moscow... and then, when the Russians didn't surrender immediately, he did the same to Saint Petersburg!"

"Are we at war with Russia now?" Jacob asked. "Was _that_ the reason for the siren?"

"No, they surrendered. As did China, when Daniel took out Beijing and a couple other big cities."

"This is insane!" Sam exclaimed. "Why would he do that?"

"To get power! He's lost it, I tell you. _Completely_! Do you know what he did then?"

"I do not," Teal'c said.

"No. What?" Jacob asked, not sure he really wanted to know.

"He insisted our government should hand over control to him, and when they refused, he took out Philadelphia and New York, just to show them he could. He then gave them ten minutes to give him command, or he would blast Washington."

"New York and Philadelphia are _gone_?" Sam asked, disbelieving.

"Yes," O'Neill confirmed, taking another drink.

"What did the President say?" Jacob asked.

"What could he say? Daniel is the only one who has control of that infernal weapon. He's now the supreme leader of our country. God help us all!" O'Neill shook his head.

"Why did Daniel even let you go?" Sam asked.

"Why not? There isn't a lot I can do, and he's consolidating his power as we speak. He's got about fifteen guards in there - or did, when I left. It's probably more now."

"It was ten last I went there," Sam said.

"In that case we need to take him out immediately. Before he digs himself in further," Jacob said.

"Agreed, but we should wait until evening. I managed to talk to the guards we'd singled out. The one that worked at Stargate Command - his name is Jeffrey Isaacs, by the way - has agreed to help us. He'll be back on the job tonight, around 2200 hours. I also approached the other guy, the one that slunk off to procrastinate. He's on duty tonight too, but he's willing to look the other way for twenty five grand."

"That's good, at least. Do you have any way of contacting them?" Jacob asked.

O'Neill nodded. "I have the phone number for Isaacs. The other guy we just hand the money to and he disappears."

"Okay, call Isaacs and tell him to try to turn off the alarms around 2300 hours. We'll use the jammer on the cameras, so no one should detect us before we're inside. _Hopefully_ ," Jacob said.

"Carter - how much of Daniel's mansion have you seen? I was only taken to his office, and then transported directly to some underground bunker, so I'd appreciate if you have more knowledge of it before we're going in," O'Neill said.

Sam nodded. "I've seen most of it, but I think he's made some changes - particularly to security - after I had my, ah, falling out with him."

"I'm assuming he sleeps in the mansion?" Jacob asked.

"Yes. He has some private rooms upstairs, not far from his office. He talked about having some installed below too, accessible from the bunker."

"I have a feeling he'll be in those," O'Neill said. "I'm assuming you know where the controls for the rings are?"

"I do, but he had had security measures installed last I was there."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning it may not be so easy to access them."

"I believe we can circumvent that, though we may need a little time. We have mobile control units which are made to break through at least the Goa'uld countermeasures we know about. Those Apophis uses are well known and not a problem, but Doctor Jackson may have changed them," Martouf said.

"All right, I'll note that as a 'maybe'. Carter, could we cut the power to the whole building? That would solve the problem," O'Neill said.

Sam shook her head. "No, he's got several backup naquadah generators."

O'Neill sighed. "Okay - why don't you sit down with the layout of the mansion that Jacob got from Harriman. Note anything that's different or added, in as much detail as you can. Draw a map, if possible."

"Yes, sir."

"We should probably get out of here soon. With the state of emergency, we can't drive around freely. There's a curfew going into effect at sundown," O'Neill said.

"Right. We'll park somewhere not too far from Daniel Jackson's mansion," Jacob said. "Then we can walk there on foot, hopefully keeping away from any soldiers and police that are bound to be patrolling."

"Which leads to another problem. We're probably not going to be able to get out of there after catching Daniel, even if all goes well," Sam reminded them.

"I agree. We should have someone come pick us up in the teltac. It should be possible to lock on to the rings in the building," Jacob said.

"I'll go call Isaacs." O'Neill sighed. "I really hate having rushed things like this, but I don't see any other option right now."


	11. Attacking the Mansion

"Okay - everyone ready to roll?" O'Neill asked.

"Yup," Sam said as she finished buttoning her dark uniform.

They were all dressed in dark BDUs, resembling the ones worn by Daniel's security forces.

"You're sure you're well enough to go with us, Sam?" Jacob asked.

"Yes, I _told_ you so, dad. Stop worrying."

"We are ready," Teal'c said.

The others all nodded.

"All right. Let's go then," O'Neill ordered. "Remember - there's probably more than fifteen guards in there now, and with things the way it is, we need to move quickly and silently, or Daniel or someone else will call for backup. Regrettably, that means we can't afford to be nice and leave the guards alive, unless the circumstances afford it. Understood?"

* * *

Sam checked her watch. "It's almost 2330 - what's taking Isaacs so long?" she whispered.

"Perhaps he cannot get to the controls for the alarm without rousing suspicion," Martouf suggested, keeping his voice low as well.

It had taken a long time to walk to Daniel's mansion, since they had had to watch out for patrols. They had not been discovered, but it had been very close more than once.

They had driven Bra'tac to the teltac earlier in the evening, and he was ready to pick them up as soon as they called for him.

Sam, Martouf/Lantash, Jacob/Selmak, and Teal'c waited another few minutes, then O'Neill signalled at them.

"Looks like Isaacs came through. The alarm is off," Jacob whispered.

They waited a few moments, while O'Neill snuck close and discreetly tried to catch the attention of the guard who had agreed to take a bribe.

As soon as the guard noticed him he immediately yawned and turned to his colleague, saying something whereupon he left, slowly, while lighting a cigarette. When he had turned the corner, O'Neill stepped up to him and handed him an envelope. He looked into it, nodded, and strolled further away.

With now only one guard at the entrance, Jacob pushed the button on the device that activated the jammers which took out the cameras and the radios outside the building. Those inside would be left on for now, to avoid causing suspicion. He signalled to O'Neill.

They all moved forward, quickly, taking the guard by surprise. Before he could do anything, Teal'c had broken his neck, and let him slide to the ground.

Martouf gave Lantash control, and he slipped the hara'kesh on. He nodded at Jacob, who had likewise armed himself.

Sam turned a small Tok'ra device at the lanterns flanking the gate, sending out a beam towards each in turn, causing the light to dim and then disappear.

They pushed the heavy gate open, relieved it was well oiled and did not make any noise. It was a very dark night with no moon and the clouds were heavy. The only light came from a few windows of the mansion.

Sounds could be heard from the guards, as they became alerted to the light at the gate going out.

The Tok'ra and Teal'c all had better night vision than humans, and walked silently ahead, with Sam and O'Neill following.

A low, half-strangled sound was heard, and when they came closer, they saw Teal'c let go of a guard. Several more came running, and Sam, O'Neill, Teal'c, and the Tok'ra quickly jumped behind a couple parked cars.

Lantash moved fast and grabbed the nearest sentry, pulling him down behind the car before he could shoot. O'Neill then slit the guard's throat, and rolled aside, following Lantash as he jumped behind some bushes, escaping the two other soldiers.

After taking care of those, they snuck towards the entrance, biding their time. A couple minutes later another group appeared. O'Neill, Teal'c, and Lantash were standing there, pretending to be guards, and the new sentries did not realize anything was wrong until they were almost on top of them. It did not take O'Neill, Teal'c, and Lantash long to dispatch them.

They silently walked around the mansion, finding only one more guard. Lantash had him in a strong grip, and was about to kill him when Sam stopped him.

"No - we need one of them to open the door!"

"Understood." Lantash instead activated his hara'kesh and directed the beam at the captured man. "He is highly receptive to suggestions now."

"Good, tell him to go to the door and tell the guards inside that there was a minor altercation with some people out on the street, but that it has been taken care of. Have him ask to get inside and use the bathroom or something," Sam said.

"I will." Lantash again focused the hara'kesh on the man, telling him what he should do. Meanwhile, Jacob adjusted the jammers to cover the inside of the building too, making sure they were not caught on camera, and disabling any radios.

* * *

Inside, they met two guards. Both were quickly and efficiently killed by Teal'c and O'Neill.

A man stepped out from a side room, and O'Neill quickly whispered at the others to stop.

"Isaacs!" O'Neill said in a low voice. "Are you _trying_ to get killed?"

"Sorry. I heard someone speaking and wanted to see if it was you who had made it inside."

"How many sentries in the building?" Jacob asked.

"Ten, including me," Isaacs said. He looked at the two dead men on the floor. "Eight, now."

"Okay. Listen, you'd better get out of here if you want to live," O'Neill said.

"Understood." Isaacs nodded and left quickly.

O'Neill looked around the room. "All right, seven bad guys to watch out for. Let's move towards Daniel's private rooms - no need to go through the entire place, as long as we're paying attention to anyone sneaking up on us from behind."

"O'Neill, there is someone behind that door," Lantash pointed. "I heard someone move."

"I agree," Teal'c said. With a few long steps he was at the door and ripped it open, revealing a terrified looking guard. Not waiting for the man to react, Teal'c killed him on the spot.

They did not want any more surprises, and quickly searched the ground floor(1), finding and dispatching two more sentries.

They walked up the wooden staircase, getting to the first landing when Sam stopped them. "Wait - there's a pressure sensitive area just about here..."

Lantash took out a small device and activated it, scanning the area. "I believe it starts about 20 of your inches ahead of us and stretching all across for just over two and a half of your feet."

"Making it almost impossible to miss by coincidence - but possible to step over knowing it is there. And here I thought it was just a squeaky floorboard when I stepped on it earlier today! All right - you go first, Marty. Sorry, _Lantash_." O'Neill gave him a half smile.

They all made it across the pressure sensitive place, and continued up the stairs. Lantash got to the top first, followed by Sam. They froze almost immediately when someone called out to them from the other end of the corridor.

Turning, they saw a man dressed in the dark suits the inside guards wore. He had just stepped out from one of the doors and now called to them again, "What are you doing in here?"

"We went to use the facilities," Lantash said, using Martouf's voice. He hoped that would be an acceptable excuse.

" _Facilities_? If you need the bathroom, why didn't you use the one downstairs? You're not allowed up here, you _know_ that!" the sentry told them angrily.

"I apologize. We'll leave immediately," Lantash said.

"Wait!" the guard had walked up to them and now looked closely at them. "I don't recognize either of you."

"We're new. Just started today," Lantash said.

"Yeah, with all the extra security needed, you know," Sam added.

"Let me see your ID, _now_!" the guard demanded.

"Certainly, sir." Lantash pretended to look for it in his pocket, then quickly lifted his left hand and activated his hara'kesh, focusing the beam on the guard's forehead.

The man got a distant look in his eyes, and meekly allowed himself to be moved aside.

"Do we really have to kill any more of them?" Sam asked in a low voice.

O'Neill had now joined them. He considered it, clearly not wanting to do so either, now when they perhaps had the opportunity not to. "Do you have any means of knocking him out for a significant amount of time?"

"I can make him confused and unresponsive for at least half an hour," Lantash said, lifting the hara'kesh again.

O'Neill listened for any sounds. "All right, do that - then quickly tie him up and dump him somewhere." He opened the closest door, finding a small office. "In here probably works just fine."

A few minutes later they had taken care of the guard and continued down the corridor, meeting no one.

"Forcefield," Sam warned in a low voice when they reached the door to Daniel's office. "Just inside the door."

O'Neill opened the door and carefully touched the force shield which prevented him from entering. "Right."

"There is something containing naquadah in there," Lantash remarked.

"Rings," O'Neill said. "Hidden in the floor, about halfway to the fireplace."

Lantash nodded. "That would explain it."

"Do you have any way of turning off the force shield?" O'Neill asked.

"I think I know where the control panel is - unfortunately it is on the inside," Sam said.

"Depending on how it is set up we can cut through the wall," Jacob said.

"Okay, set to work. Teal'c and I'll keep guard," O'Neill said. "We should not forget the remaining three guards."

Jacob took out a small device which quickly and efficiently cut through the wall in the place Sam said the control panel was located. Her memory was good, and they were able to access it from the back.

Lantash reached in and removed the small control crystal which kept the force shield functioning. "Daniel Jackson has copied this exactly from a standard Goa'uld force shield."

"Okay, we can enter now," Sam said, stepping into the room.

"Wait! Stand still!" Lantash exclaimed.

Sam did not move. "What?"

"See the small light by the fireplace?" He pointed into the dark room. "And the two on either side of the room?"

"Yes. What are they?"

"Possibly a type of tacluchnatagamuntoron. Some of them send out a weak light in a dark room, but only if there is a fairly large source of naquadah nearby. Like the ring transporter."

"Crap, he hadn't installed them before," Sam grumbled, slowly stepping back into the corridor.

"Just a moment," O'Neill went back to the room they had left the tied up guard in and returned moments later, carrying a lighter.

He activated it and threw it into the room. Laser beams immediately hit it from three sides, destroying it. "Wonderful! If we try to shoot them we make more noise than the damn things do, and if we leave them on we can't enter."

"It's too bad we don't have a shel'kesh," Jacob said.

"What's a shel'kesh?" O'Neill asked.

"A ring-like weapon, sometimes used by assassins. Like the one the zatarcs, including myself, used," Lantash explained.

"Ah," Sam said, looking unhappy at the memory.

"We should be able to use a zat'nik'tel instead," Lantash said, fishing one out of one of the large pockets in his BDU pants.

"Yeah - those works," O'Neill said, remembering when he and Teal'c had used them for that exact purpose. "Didn't know you'd brought a zat."

"You weren't _supposed_ to," Jacob told him. "What if we're caught? With something like a _ray gun_? The hara'kesh'es can be explained away as jewelry, at least!"

"I think that would be the least of our concerns. Besides, it's not like this place isn't full of alien tech anyway," O'Neill insisted. "Go on, Lantash - shoot the damn tacs!"

He nodded. "Yes, sir." He fired the zat'nik'tel at the tacluchnatagamuntoron, hitting them and destroying them. "The path should be clear now."

He slowly stepped into the room. When nothing happened, he took another few steps, and the light came on. The others followed.

They all stopped when they heard angry shouts from outside the room. Teal'c quickly peeked outside. "Another one of the guards."

Lantash threw his zat'nik'tel at Teal'c, who caught it and smoothly turned and fired at the enemy, twice.

"He was probably alerted by the sounds from the zat," Sam mused.

"Okay, the rings should be about here," O'Neill said, looking around the room, trying to remember precisely where he had been standing when they had jumped up from the ground.

"Two more steps forward and you are in the center of them," Lantash said.

O'Neill bent down to look, spotting faint lines in the floor where the rings would come up. "I see them! Okay - you said you had some sort of mobile controls for them?"

* * *

(1) first floor in US and some other countries.


	12. Daniel's Secret Lair

Using the Tok'ra mobile controllers it had not taken long to get the ring transporter to work. It had indeed been encrypted, but the algorithm was one the Tok'ra had encountered before.

They were transported down into the control room where Daniel had taken O'Neill earlier that day - and from where Daniel had controlled the weapon that had blown up several Russian, Chinese, and American cities.

"You said Daniel could get to his _secret_ private rooms from here?" O'Neill asked.

"Yes, he's had a hidden door installed." She looked along the ceiling, frowning. "I just hope the cameras in here are out." She sighed and walked up to the back wall and felt along a panel. It did not take long before she found the controls, and part of the wall slid aside to reveal a doorway.

"Watch out!" Teal'c exclaimed, pulling Sam aside.

Two guards could be seen through the door. They had both raised their weapons and were pointing at Sam, O'Neill, Teal'c, and the Tok'ra, who all quickly moved out of the line of fire.

Lantash pulled out a small version of a Goa'uld shock grenade from his BDU pants pockets. "Watch out!" he told his friends, then threw it through the door into the other room.

They all closed their eyes as the grenade exploded causing both of the guards to fall unconscious.

"You brought a shock grenade _too_?" Jacob asked, incredulous.

"Sorry," Lantash said, not looking the least bit sorry.

Jacob just rolled his eyes.

"Come on - let's go catch Daniel before he gets away or something. Carter - there isn't any other way out of here except the rings, are there?"

"I don't know," Sam admitted.

"As paranoid as he is right now, there probably is," O'Neill said, hurrying past the unconscious guards and to the door ahead.

"He won't have wanted to run unless he absolutely had to - the room back there contains the only way he can control the orbital weapons platform, and that's what gives him power," Jacob said.

"Let's hope so. Get the door open," O'Neill ordered, when he realized is was locked and very sturdy.

"I think it's coded to naquadah in the blood," Sam said.

Lantash reached out a hand and pushed down the handle, and the door opened. "Interesting. I have never encountered a door with such a mechanism."

"Mixture of Earth and Goa'uld tech - makes sense, all things considered," O'Neill said, shrugging. He carefully stretched out his hand. Not meeting any force field he hurried into the corridor behind.

Five doors met them, one at the end and two on each side.

"Bathroom, kitchen, combined living room and office, bedroom, and storage" Sam said, pointing.

"Check them all." O'Neill started opening doors on one side, finding both bathroom and kitchen deserted.

"No one in the storage room, nor in the bedroom," Teal'c informed them.

"Nothing that looks like there could be a tunnel out of here either," O'Neill said. "Okay - straight ahead."

The door to the living room/office was locked, and no sounds could be heard from in there. It was merely a normal door, and Teal'c put his shoulder to it and forced it.

"The room is empty," Teal'c said.

"What?" O'Neill hurried inside, and the others followed.

"Did we somehow miss him? Could he have been hiding upstairs somewhere?" Jacob asked, puzzled.

Sam shook her head. "I don't think so. He must have had a way out."

Lantash spotted a picture that was hanging at an angle, and went to it, searching along the edge of it. When he touched both sides at the same time, that part of the wall swung inwards, revealing a tunnel.

They raced through the tunnel, afraid Daniel would have had time to escape.

As they were about to turn a corner, Lantash stopped. "Naquadah!"

Jacob nodded. "Yes."

A very agitated man jumped out before them, pointing at them with a hand device, the crystal in the center glowing. _Daniel_!

"Jack! How _dare_ you come here, bringing the shol'vah Teal'c" He stared angrily at Teal'c, then at Sam. "And my former friend who betrayed me! _And_ two _false_ Goa'uld!" he screamed. "I thought you were my friend, Jack!"

"Daniel! Calm down! I _am_ your friend! So are all of us here. We're here to help you!"

"Help me? What kind of help is that? Storming my palace? Killing my _worthless_ guards?" He laughed maniacally. "I don't _need_ any help! I am the Lord of this world! It is _mine_!"

Jacob gave Selmak control.

"Then let us serve you, my Lord." Selmak kneeled down before Daniel, hoping to placate him and get him to let down his guard.

"Yes, we... are your servants, Daniel," Lantash repeated, also kneeling down.

Sam did the same, then Teal'c, and finally O'Neill.

Seeing this, Daniel visibly relaxed, and grinned widely. "Good, good. I am pleased you recognize my superiority. You shall be my trusted lieutenants." He turned to point in the direction he had come from, the hand device powering off. "Your first task will be to secure the exit - our former 'leaders' are treacherous and have sent soldiers to my mansion - _despite_ their promises! They've parked a number of armed vehicles or something close to the exit of my escapeway. It is _unforgivable_! They will regret it!"

Teal'c had moved fast and grabbed Daniel before the other man could raise his hand with the hand device.

"Treason!" Daniel screamed, but he could do nothing as Teal'c held both his hands in a firm grip. He called to the others, "Rescue me, and I'll reward you greatly!"

Lantash hurriedly rose and removed the hand device from Daniel's hand, pocketing it. Now sure Daniel was not a danger, he put his hara'kesh on and activated it, using it to put Daniel into a kind of trance. "He is cooperative now."

O'Neill shook his head. "Poor Daniel - he's lost it completely now."

"I assure you, we will do what we can to return him to his former self," Selmak promised, getting out the small device they had brought, which they would use to temporarily suppress the Goa'uld genetic memory in Daniel. "I need him completely stationary, so we should take him to his bedroom and lie him down."

"That will not be a problem," Teal'c said, lifting up Daniel.

* * *

Daniel groaned and slowly opened his eyes. "What happened? Where am I?"

"Are you okay, Daniel?" O'Neill asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay, I just have a bit of a headache."

"That is understandable," Martouf said.

"Martouf?" Daniel looked surprised. "You're alive?"

"I am. It is, as you say, a long story."

"He doesn't remember anything about what has happened?" O'Neill asked.

Jacob shook his head. "No, the best we could do this quickly, without risking permanent harm, was to simply block all his memories from the time he received the Goa'uld memories."

"I thought it would be possible to, uh, block just that part, since it's not in his mind, like the other memories," O'Neill said.

"The way Shifu transferred the memories, they _did_ end up in Daniel Jackson's mind in the same way as his own memories," Jacob explained.

"Ah. Crap," O'Neill said.

"What are you _talking_ about?" Daniel said, sitting up in the bed. He groaned and lay down again immediately.

"Take it easy. There was a _lot_ of memories to block," Jacob said.

"Listen, not to rush you guys, but with no guards to keep anyone out of here, and no one to, ah, threaten the world with annihilation, the government forces will probably be here soon," Sam reminded them.

"What!" Daniel repeated, staring at them. "What is going _on_?"

"It's a very long story, Daniel, and believe me when I say, you're _not_ going to like it," O'Neill told him, grimly.

"Let's get to the ring transporter and call Bra'tac to come pick us up," Jacob said.

"Don't worry, Daniel. We'll tell you everything on the way to Cimmeria," O'Neill promised.

* * *

"...and you, yourself, are asking to have these memories removed?" Thor asked.

"Yes! The sooner the better!" Daniel exclaimed. "I have done _horrible_ things, and I _don't_ want to go back to being that person!"

"We will assist you. I will come for you shortly," Thor said.

They all made relieved sighs and went out from the 'Hall of Thor's might' to wait for the Asgard commander to arrive.

"While Thor is here, we should ask him to make it possible for Bra'tac to visit Cimmeria as well," Teal'c said, thinking of the other Jaffa who was waiting on the planet where they had landed the teltac.

"I'm sure Thor will be happy to help," O'Neill said, sitting down on a large rock. He yawned. "What's keeping the little grey fella?"

"Patience, O'Neill. I am certain he will not fail us," Teal'c told him. He looked at the sky and smiled. "In fact, he is arriving just now."

* * *

"Sure you're okay again?" O'Neill asked. "No lingering desire to subjugate the Galaxy and rule us all?"

Daniel rolled his eyes. "I am _fine_."

"I assure you, O'Neill. Daniel Jackson is himself again," Thor said.

O'Neill nodded, looking relieved. "Good." He slapped Daniel on the shoulder. "It's great to have you back, Daniel!"

"Welcome back," Sam told him, smiling.

"Indeed. I am most pleased that you are once again the Daniel Jackson I have come to like and admire," Teal'c said.

After they had been transported back to the surface of Cimmeria, SG-1 and the two Tok'ra were ready to return.

"We'll have to go by teltac," O'Neill said. "We don't have a GDO."

"We do," Martouf reminded him. "We can go to our base and use the one there."

Sam nodded. "Of course."

"Sounds like a plan," O'Neill said. He gave Daniel a concerned look. "There's probably going to be some trouble when we return, though."

"You think?" Daniel said. He looked down, adding in a low voice. "I have killed many millions of people, and risked war on a global scale." He shook his head. "How can I ever forgive myself?"

"You weren't yourself," Sam reminded him.

"I doubt that's going to help much."

"You are welcome to remain with the Tok'ra," Martouf offered.

Daniel nodded. "Thanks, but I need to get back home and face the music. Not to mention make sure that terrible weapon can never again be used against Earth... and I also need to try and stop World War Three from happening, I'm afraid."

Jacob had been silent, but now spoke up, "I can't see a way out of this, except coming clean about the Stargate project. The Russians and Chinese... will accept nothing less. Hell, the rest of the _planet_ will probably demand full disclosure about this."

"I agree that may be what happens. I can't think of any other way to explain how the US came to have such a weapon - nor why it was used." O'Neill shook his head. "It's a horrible mess."

"The Tok'ra will gladly appear before your people, and bear witness as to the effect of Goa'uld genetic memory. We will explain how terrible an enemy the Goa'uld are, and why the weapon was originally constructed," Martouf said.

"We may hold you to that, but I don't know how to tell people of Earth about the Goa'uld and all the rest without causing widespread panic," O'Neill said. "It'd really be better if there was a way to avoid it."

Sam nodded. "This is one of the - _many_ \- times where I'm happy I'm not a diplomat."

* * *

After taking their goodbyes of the Tok'ra, SG-1 was ready to return home.

None of them knew what waited ahead, but it would not be easy. An all out war on Earth had to be avoided, and the threat of the Goa'uld had never been greater.

"Ready to go home?" O'Neill asked.

"No, but I'm going," Daniel said, staring unhappily at the event horizon. "Maybe, if I just take all the responsibility and say no one else is to blame, then we can resolve it without disclosing the Stargate program."

"I doubt many people are going to believe you could do all that on your own, and you're _not_ the only one responsible," Sam said.

O'Neill nodded. "People listened to you because they wanted a weapon against the Goa'uld, but they should have paid better attention. _We_ should have paid better attention."

"Thanks, it's nice of you to say all this, but it still comes down to the same. The best hope we have for stopping a war and keeping the Stargate secret is that I take responsibility," Daniel said.

"Come on - we've faced worse before," O'Neill said, trying to cheer him up.

"We have not, O'Neill," Teal'c said.

"Teal'c! We'll find a way! We always do."

"Yes, O'Neill. We have - and we will."

They stepped through the wormhole - to an uncertain future.

 

The End (for now, at least).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The most open-ended story I've written in a while. Will Earth be thrown into war or will SG-1 find a way stop it? Will the Stargate program become public? Will there be chaos? Will Daniel be executed - or will they come up with a way of saving him? Who knows, but if my muse ever returns to this story, then I may write a sequel about it.


End file.
